Teachers up in arms over Ruto’s salary check-off housing plan

The government’s plan to have teachers’ pay for affordable homes through salary deductions has sparked fresh concern over growing pressure on teachers’ earnings, even as President William Ruto moves to deepen the State’s housing programme in the education sector.

Ruto announced that teachers seeking to buy houses under the Affordable Housing Programme will soon be able to have their monthly instalments deducted directly from their salaries through a new check-off system being developed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Affordable Housing Board (AHB).

Speaking during the World Teachers’ Day celebrations at Kasarani today, Monday, October 5, 2026, Ruto said the arrangement would make home ownership easier for teachers by allowing them to finance their units directly through payroll.

“We are now making those homes easier to acquire. AHB is working with TSC on a check-off system so that you can pay for your home directly from your salary,” Ruto said.

The President said the government was also engaging teachers’ savings and credit cooperative societies (SACCOs) to develop financing arrangements tailored to individual teachers’ incomes.

“We are also partnering with teachers’ SACCOs to design financing that fits teachers’ income,” he said.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of growing concern among public servants over statutory and other deductions from their salaries, with critics questioning whether additional housing-related deductions will further reduce workers’ disposable income.

The government, however, says the arrangement will give teachers a structured route to home ownership by linking their earnings directly to housing finance.

Ruto also announced that teachers would receive preferential access to houses being constructed under the programme, with 20 per cent of affordable housing units reserved for them.

He said the arrangement was anchored in an agreement signed in September 2025 between the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and the Affordable Housing Board.

“We are opening a new path to home ownership for teachers. We committed to reserving 20 per cent of affordable homes for teachers. In September 2025, KNUT and KUPPET, with the Affordable Housing Board, signed an agreement to allow teachers to reserve one in five affordable houses,” Ruto said.

The housing programme categorises applicants according to their monthly income, with units divided into social, affordable and market-rate categories.

Those earning up to Sh19,999 qualify for social housing, while affordable housing targets Kenyans earning between Sh20,000 and Sh149,999 a month. Those earning Sh150,000 and above fall under the affordable middle-class category.

Applicants can register through the Boma Yangu platform on eCitizen, the Boma Yangu website or by dialling *832#. Registration requires an initial Sh200, which is credited to the applicant’s housing e-wallet.

The latest announcement comes as the government adjusts the cost of units under the programme. From October 1, 2026 prices for affordable and market-rate houses were increased by 20 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, while prices for social housing units remained unchanged.

The salary check-off proposal adds another layer to the government’s controversial housing financing model, under which workers already contribute through the Affordable Housing Levy.