President William Ruto’s affordable housing project has suffered a major setback after the High Court halted the construction of thousands of housing units in Nairobi’s Lang’ata area.

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In a ruling delivered on Friday, May 29, a three-judge bench stopped the controversial Southlands Affordable Housing Project, faulting the government for proceeding with the development without conducting meaningful public participation.

The court also quashed a licence issued by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), effectively bringing the project to an immediate standstill.

The housing project, which was expected to deliver over 15,000 affordable housing units in Lang’ata, is part of Ruto’s ambitious plan to address Kenya’s housing problem.

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However, a section of Lang'ata residents moved to court arguing that the p roject had been initiated without adequate consultation and did not comply with environmental regulations.

In their ruling, the judges found that the process leading to the project's approval failed to meet constitutional requirements on public participation and environmental protection.

The bench further noted that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process was flawed and did not address concerns raised by residents regarding the project’s potential effects on the environment.

The decision now throws uncertainty over one of the flagship housing projects under the Kenya Kwanza administration, which has heavily invested political and financial capital in the Affordable Housing Programme.

The ruling follows a petition filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah challenging the project, arguing that it was advancing on public land without any input from the community.

In his petition, the vocal lawmaker also argued that initial checks showed the work lacked approval from NEMA, which oversees environmental standards for such builds.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke