Kenyans will continue paying the Housing Levy, albeit for the next one month after the High Court suspended an earlier judgement that found the law unconstitutional until January, to allow the government move to the Court of Appeal. “The respondents are also entitled to exercise the right of appeal, to the court of appeal and even the Supreme Court. In the earlier decision, the three-judge Bench dealt a blow to President William Ruto’s housing programme after declaring the Housing Levy unconstitutional for being discriminatory and creating unequal principles. The court added that the enactment of laws must be supported with a rational explanation but in the case of the Housing Levy, the government failed to provide an explanation for the imposition of the levy or a legal framework to anchor the fees. In early August, the government backdated the Housing Levy deductions to July 1, 2023, and appointed the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) as the collection agent.

Source: Daily Nation November 28, 2023 14:16 UTC