By Nyang’au Araka
Many Kenyans are cutting back on basic needs, dipping into savings and taking on extra work simply to keep a roof over their heads.
The Global Housing Research 2026, commissioned by Habitat for Humanity International, found that 89 per cent of Kenyan respondents had cut back on at least one expense in the past year to afford housing costs, well above the global average of 75 per cent.
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About 40 per cent of respondents said they had reduced spending on food, while half had used savings or emergency funds to meet housing costs.
Another 55 per cent said they had taken on additional income-generating work, the highest proportion recorded among the 22 countries surveyed.
The figure compares with a global average of 31 per cent.
The findings paint a picture of a country where the desire to own or secure a decent home remains strong, even as the cost of housing increasingly competes with food, family plans and other household needs.
According to the report, 55 per cent of Kenyans worry that one unexpected problem could threaten their ability to remain housed. The concern rises to 71 per cent among respondents living in informal housing arrangements.
About 44 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with their current housing situation, compared with a global average of 35 per cent.
Only 72 per cent said they felt secure in their right to remain where they live, compared with 86 per cent globally.
Optimism
The survey found that 88 per cent of Kenyans expect their housing situation to improve within the next three years, while 94 per cent expect to own a home at some point in their lives.
Among renters, 48 per cent reported cutting back on food, while 65 per cent said they had taken on additional work to meet housing costs.
Some 62 per cent of respondents said housing costs make it difficult to consider starting a family, while 61 per cent of parents or caregivers worried that housing expenses were limiting the opportunities they could provide for children.
For 45 per cent, their housing situation had contributed to giving up personal aspirations.
“A home is a place where I feel safe, secured and at peace,” said a low-income Kenyan woman aged between 25 and 34 who rents her home, according to the report.
She said a home should allow people to access basic needs without stress and provide a safe environment in which they can raise and mentor their children.
Safety concerns
The report found that 55 per cent of Kenyans have accepted housing-related safety risks because safer options were either unaffordable or unavailable.
Insecure doors, windows or boundaries were cited by 44 per cent as making it difficult to feel safe.
The problem is more pronounced among people living in informal arrangements, where 66 per cent cited insecure doors or windows and 52 per cent said extreme weather affected their sense of safety.
The survey notes that about 57.2 per cent of Kenya’s urban residents live in slums or informal settlements, while the country faces an estimated housing need of 2.8 million units.
Housing pressures are also taking a toll on wellbeing, with 41 per cent of respondents, saying housing is one of the biggest sources of stress in their lives.
At the same time, 96 per cent agreed that safe and reliable housing supports mental health, while 94 per cent said stable housing helps build stronger communities.
Kenyans also overwhelmingly view decent housing as a basic right, with 93 per cent agreeing that safe and decent housing is a basic human right.
There is strong support for expanding affordable housing, with 84 per cent saying they would welcome more affordable or social housing in their communities.
The report found that 39 per cent of respondents considered Kenya’s housing policies effective in addressing housing problems, while 44 per cent believed the housing system was broken or did not work.
Reasonable standards
Kenya’s housing framework includes the Constitution, which recognises the right to accessible and adequate housing and reasonable standards of sanitation, as well as the National Housing Policy, land-use planning laws and the Affordable Housing Act, 2024.
Habitat for Humanity Kenya is highlighted in the report for an initiative promoting climate-smart and resilient housing.
The approach combines resilient construction technologies, improved sanitation, accessible designs and community participation while involving homeowners in construction and building skills among local artisans and contractors.
For one middle-income Kenyan homeowner aged 45 to 54, the meaning of home extends beyond walls and a roof.
“To me a home is a conducive environment where I can live safely and comfortably with my loved ones,” a respondent said, adding that an ideal home should have land for growing food and clean water within reach.
The survey was conducted by Edelman Intelligence between April 10 and June 30, 2026, across 22 countries, with 30,758 respondents globally.
In Kenya, 1,000 adults participated in the national sample, supplemented by additional low-income and informal-housing respondents, bringing the total Kenyan sample to 1,400.
The researchers caution that the targeted boost samples are not independently nationally representative.
