Government spokesperson Charles Owino/ FILEGovernment spokesperson Charles Owino has called upon Kenyans to be wary of political propaganda on Government projects and programs and instead seek facts and figures from ministries, independent bodies or agencies.
Speaking during a radio interview on Bahari FM, he urged Kenyans to reject propaganda and misinformation being pedalled by some politicians about government programmes and projects.
"The Government is ready to provide any kind of information the citizenry seeks," the Government spokesperson expressed.
He insisted that Kenyans should stop believing fake news by politicians affiliated with the opposition without counter-checking with the government or its agencies.
He particularly took issue with the affordable housing programme that has come under the barrage of some politicians spewing propaganda to obscure the truth about it.
The spokesperson asked Kenyans interested in the programme to disregard what politicians tell them and instead apply for the housing units through the Boma Yangu platform.
"The housing project is for Kenyans; let's apply for them through the BomaYangu website," he said.
He also warned wananchi not to be compromised by wealthy individuals to buy the units and later resell to them at inflated prices, citing a three-bedroom unit selling at between Ksh3 million and Ksh4.8 million compared to private apartments going at Ksh12 million.
"Between now and December, the government will make 45,000 housing units available to the market," He continued.
This countrywide target goes beyond policy and now driving construction, creating jobs, and developing economic activities.
On land ownership at the Coast region, Owino said the government has so far issued 381,000 title deeds since 2022 that were currently benefiting the coastal people in different fronts.
He urged those families still involved in land disputes to resolve them quickly to enable the government to process and issue more title deeds to them.
On the expected El Niño phenomenon and preparedness, he said the government has intensified its preparations ahead of the October–December rains through crisis management committee already established.
According to him the committee will soon engage members of the public in preparedness activities throughout the country to ensure everybody was on the same page.
He explained that the Coast Guard personnel was working hand-in-hand with fishermen and hotel operators along the coastline to create awareness on ocean conditions, including when it was safe or dangerous to venture into the sea.
Turning to the Social Health Authority (SHA), Owino said registration has grown from about seven (7) million NHIF members before the SHA rollout to 31 million registered members under the new health authority.
He highlighted benefits such as the emergency, chronic and critical illness fund and the hospital development fund (HDF) saying the authority could protect families from huge medical expenses.
"An example is where a person is contributing sh. 6,000 annually and could have a hospital bill of approximately sh. 400,000 covered under the scheme," he said.
