Ruto Strikes New Deal With Harambee Stars Players, But on One Condition
President William Ruto has announced that the government will cover half the cost of affordable housing units promised to Harambee Stars players during the CHAN tournament, despite Kenya being knocked out at the quarterfinals stage.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during a luncheon with the national team on Thursday, Ruto explained that the government would subsidise part of the cost to ensure players benefit from the affordable housing scheme.
“The two-bedroom house that we have agreed on in affordable housing costs Ksh2 million. We are going to pay for you half that amount, which is Ksh1 million. Alternatively, we will be giving you a mortgage which you can pay for over 20 years, and that would translate to a payment of Ksh2,000 or Ksh3,000 every month,” Ruto stated.
He emphasised that the reward would not be converted into cash but strictly issued as housing units.
“There is no room for exchanging the house for money. There is only the house, and you will get a chance to choose a house in a town of your choice, be it Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, or wherever you want,” he added.
The Head of State further dismissed fears that the government was issuing the housing units as handouts, insisting that players would still be required to meet part of the cost. He maintained that the government’s role would be to ease the financial burden by meeting half of the total cost while giving players flexible payment options for the balance.
Meanwhile, President Ruto announced that his government will now reward players with enhanced individual packages, with Olympic gold medalists set to receive Ksh3 million, up from the initial Ksh750,000. Silver medalists will earn Ksh2 million, up from Ksh500,000, while bronze winners will get Ksh1 million, an increase from Ksh350,000.
In team sports, the reward per athlete has been raised to Ksh750,000 for gold from Ksh100,000, Ksh500,000 for silver from Ksh75,000, and Ksh375,000 for bronze from Ksh50,000.
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