Our Functions

The statutory mandate and key functions of the State Department across all departments and support programmes.

Core Mandate

Departments & Key Functions

Department of Housing

The Department of Housing is the lead technical department responsible for formulation, review, and implementation of national housing policies, strategies, and programmes in Kenya.Its core mandate includes coordinating the housing sector by working with county governments, private sector developers, cooperatives, and development partners to increase the supply of affordable housing. The department oversees the implementation of the Kenya Housing Policy, the Affordable Housing Programme (Boma Yangu), and the various slum upgrading and informal settlement improvement initiatives.The department also administers the Housing Act (Cap 117) and related legislation, regulates housing cooperatives, and maintains the national housing database. Through its technical divisions, it sets housing standards, coordinates estate management across government, and advises the Cabinet Secretary on all housing matters.

Civil Servants Housing Scheme Fund (CSHSF)

The Civil Servants Housing Scheme Fund (CSHSF) is a State Corporation under the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, established through Legal Notice No. 198 of 2004 under the State Corporations Act (Cap 446). Its primary objective is to facilitate the provision of decent and affordable housing for civil servants.CSHSF administers mortgage and rental housing schemes specifically designed for government employees, manages a portfolio of government housing estates across all 47 counties, and coordinates the redevelopment of aging government housing stock through public-private partnerships.Key programmes include the Mortgage Scheme, which provides affordable home loans to civil servants at concessional interest rates; the Rental Housing Scheme, which offers quality rental accommodation at subsidised rates; and the Estate Redevelopment Programme, which replaces dilapidated single-storey units with modern apartment blocks.The Fund also manages tenant purchase schemes and maintains a robust estate management function that oversees day-to-day maintenance, rent collection, and tenant relations across all government housing estates nationwide.

Estates Management Department

The Estates Management Department is responsible for the strategic and operational management of all government residential and office accommodation owned or leased by the national government.Its functions encompass estate planning and development, allocation of housing units to eligible civil servants, rent assessment and collection, maintenance and repairs of government buildings, and management of the national housing asset register.The department conducts regular condition surveys of government housing stock to identify maintenance needs and prioritise capital works. It also manages the disposal of surplus or obsolete government properties in accordance with public procurement regulations.Through its regional offices, the department ensures that government accommodation standards are maintained uniformly across all counties, and that tenants comply with the terms of their occupation agreements.

Building Standards & Research (ABMT)

The Appropriate Building Materials and Technology (ABMT) division promotes the development, standardisation, and use of locally available building materials and appropriate construction technologies to reduce the cost of housing construction in Kenya.ABMT works with research institutions, universities, and private sector innovators to test and certify alternative building materials such as stabilised soil blocks (SSBs), interlocking bricks, ferro-cement products, and other low-cost, environmentally sustainable building solutions.The division develops and maintains building codes and standards, registers construction professionals and contractors, and provides technical advisory services to counties and private developers on cost-effective building technologies.ABMT has established demonstration sites across the country where new technologies are showcased, and it provides training to artisans, contractors, and housing developers in the use of appropriate building materials.

Urban & Metropolitan Development

The Urban and Metropolitan Development department leads the formulation of urban policy frameworks and coordinates integrated urban and metropolitan development planning across Kenya.It is responsible for the implementation of the National Urban Development Policy (NUDP), which provides a framework for managing urbanisation, promoting sustainable urban growth, and strengthening the economic role of cities and towns.The department coordinates the preparation of metropolitan development plans for Kenya's major urban regions, including the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA), Mombasa, Kisumu, and other emerging city regions. It works closely with county governments to ensure that urban planning aligns with national spatial planning frameworks.The department also oversees the State Department's engagement with international urban development programmes, including the New Urban Agenda (NUA), and coordinates Kenya's reporting to UN-Habitat on urban development indicators.

Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP)

The Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP) is a flagship government programme under the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, established in partnership with UN-Habitat to improve the living conditions of residents in informal settlements (slums).KENSUP adopts a participatory, integrated approach to slum upgrading that includes physical infrastructure improvement (roads, drainage, water supply, sanitation), provision of secure tenure, and the relocation of households from hazardous areas such as railway reserves, riverbanks, and power-line ways.Since its inception, KENSUP has implemented upgrading projects in Kibera (Soweto East, Kianda, Kisumu Ndogo), Mavoko, Kisumu (Manyatta, Nyalenda), Mombasa, and other urban centres across Kenya. The programme uses a "decanting" model where households are temporarily relocated to decanting sites while their original plots are redeveloped with modern, multi-storey housing.KENSUP also addresses the social and economic dimensions of slum life through complementary programmes in health, education, youth empowerment, and micro-enterprise development.

Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP)

The Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP) is a World Bank-supported programme that complements KENSUP by focusing on infrastructure-led upgrading in informal settlements.Unlike KENSUP's full redevelopment approach, KISIP prioritises delivering critical infrastructure — roads, drainage, water supply, sanitation, and street lighting — combined with the provision of security of tenure through regularisation and issuance of land documents.KISIP operates through extensive community participation, with Settlement Executive Committees (SECs) and resident associations actively involved in planning, prioritising, and overseeing project implementation in their neighbourhoods.The project has been implemented in settlements across Nakuru (Kaptembwa), Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, and other urban areas, benefiting tens of thousands of households with improved infrastructure and secure land tenure.

Kenya Urban Support Programme I (KUSP I)

The Kenya Urban Support Programme (KUSP I) was a World Bank-supported programme implemented from 2016 to 2021 that aimed to strengthen urban management capacity, local government financing, and infrastructure delivery in Kenya's secondary cities and small towns.KUSP I provided Urban Development Grants (UDGs) to 65 eligible urban areas, financing priority infrastructure investments including roads, drainage, water supply, solid waste management, and market facilities. The programme also provided Institutional Development Grants (IDGs) to strengthen the administrative, financial, and planning capacities of urban local governments.Through KUSP I, participating towns and cities developed and implemented Integrated Urban Development Plans (IUDPs) and improved their revenue collection systems, financial management, and service delivery performance.

Kenya Urban Support Programme II (KUSP II)

The Kenya Urban Support Programme II (KUSP II) is the second phase of the World Bank-supported urban development programme, building on the achievements of KUSP I with an expanded scope that includes climate resilience, enhanced urban governance, and strengthened urban planning systems.KUSP II supports selected small and medium towns across Kenya with Urban Development Grants (UDGs) for climate-resilient infrastructure, and provides Institutional Development Grants (IDGs) to improve urban planning, land management, and local revenue mobilisation.The programme places greater emphasis on climate-responsive urban development, requiring participating towns to integrate climate risk assessments into their planning processes and infrastructure investments. KUSP II also strengthens the capacity of urban areas to access alternative sources of development finance and to manage urban growth more sustainably.For enquiries or complaints, the programme can be reached on email at kusp2@housingandurban.go.ke or toll-free on 0800 724 255.

Human Settlement Secretariat

The Human Settlement Secretariat serves as Kenya's national focal point for human settlements matters, coordinating the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 — to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.The Secretariat manages Kenya's reporting obligations to UN-Habitat, including the preparation of national reports on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the New Urban Agenda. It coordinates the participation of Kenyan delegations in international forums such as the World Urban Forum (WUF) and the UN-Habitat Assembly.The Secretariat also facilitates technical cooperation with development partners, international organisations, and other countries on human settlements issues, and supports the mainstreaming of sustainable urbanisation principles into national and county development planning.