Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga speaks alongside Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination Dennis Itumbi, during a briefing on plans to engage artists in the Affordable Housing Programme/SCREENGRAB.

Affordable housing projects and markets across the country will feature graffiti and murals under a government plan to promote art, while artists will be considered for monthly stipends to support their work.

Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga said the government plans to incorporate artwork into affordable housing schemes, give paintings to new homeowners and create opportunities for artists to exhibit and sell their work.

Hinga said the initiative seeks to make urban spaces more vibrant while providing artists with a source of income.

“We want to create vibrancy in our urban spaces, and part of creating vibrancy in our urban spaces is, first of all, to bring in artists, graffiti artists, so that we can put graffiti on our walls around the affordable housing schemes,” he said.

He said the government would also work with artists to introduce murals at housing sites and markets, as well as explore opportunities for street art in urban areas.

Under the proposed programme, artists would be registered and receive a monthly stipend, with the amount yet to be determined and announced.

Hinga said participating artists would be expected to produce four pieces of artwork each month, with each piece serving a different purpose.

The first would be placed in an affordable home and presented to the buyer as a gift from the Affordable Housing Board.

“Every new homeowner, as you get into your home, not only do you get a key for your house, but you are also going to get a painting, a piece of art that has been done by one of our artists in Kenya,” he said.

The artwork would also be accompanied by a brief history explaining the piece.

The second piece would be entered into a competition, with selected works displayed during a proposed event dubbed A Night of Art with the President.

Hinga said the government intended to invite members of the corporate sector to attend the exhibitions, where artwork would be auctioned. Proceeds from the sales would go back to the artists who created the pieces.

The third piece would be considered for presentation to visiting heads of state and display at Kenyan embassies, as the government seeks to promote Kenyan art internationally.

Hinga said the government also planned to create exhibition opportunities for artists at state lodges, including spaces where visiting delegations could view their work.

He said the programme would be expanded to include other ways of showcasing art in public spaces. In Nairobi, for instance, he proposed working with the governor to explore displaying artwork during car-free days, when selected streets could be closed to traffic.