Quick answer
On 27 October 2025 the State Department for Housing and Urban Development said it was at the tail end of onboarding 7,000 interns recruited with PSC for 12-month, non-renewable placements across built environment and support disciplines, with a monthly stipend and a certificate on completion.
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The State Department for Housing and Urban Development says it is at the tail end of onboarding 7,000 interns across Kenya, in one of the largest public sector internship drives in recent years. The interns were recruited with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and will be placed in built environment disciplines and support departments linked to the Affordable Housing Programme.
The department gave the update in a statement on Monday, 27 October 2025. Successful candidates were waiting to be deployed to their stations.
How the 7,000 interns were recruited
The recruitment followed a timeline that started in August 2025:
- August 2025: PSC advertised the internship, inviting graduates in more than 40 professional fields. Applicants needed a diploma or degree in a relevant discipline and must have graduated in 2018 or later.
- 14 August 2025: the application window closed.
- 1 to 5 September 2025: PSC and State Department officials shortlisted applicants, sorting the data and setting selection parameters.
- 24 September 2025: a one-day stakeholders’ forum at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi brought together the department, PSC, realtors, professional bodies such as the Architectural Association of Kenya and the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors, and county directors of housing from all 47 counties. It discussed the internship framework, mentorship, supervision and deployment.
- 13 to 17 October 2025: interviews were held in candidates’ home counties, across all 47 counties.
Where the interns will work
The department has published allocations by discipline. The largest technical groups are:
| Discipline | Interns |
|---|---|
| Architecture | 300 |
| Construction management | 250 |
| Civil engineering | 200 |
| Electrical engineering | 200 |
| Mechanical engineering | 200 |
| Health and safety | 180 |
| Social development | 165 |
| Urban and regional planning | 150 |
| Communication and branding | 150 |
| Environmental practitioners | 150 |
| Legal services | 60 |
| Digital marketing | 50 |
| ICT | 40 |
| Data science | 40 |
Other technical slots cover structural engineering, quantity surveying, landscape architecture, interior design and land surveying. Support roles include economics, actuarial science, financial analysis, human resource management, gender studies and supply chain management. The department has also created inspector roles for building, civil, electrical, plumbing and gas or refrigeration works, to check the quality of construction on housing projects.
What the interns get
The internship runs for 12 months and cannot be renewed. Interns receive a monthly stipend and a certificate when they complete it. The department did not state the stipend amount in its update.
Douglas Njeru, Director of Human Resource Management at the State Department for Housing, said the onboarding of the 7,000 interns marks a new era in youth empowerment and is a significant step towards tackling unemployment. He said interns went through an orientation programme, that a structured mentorship system had been set up so experienced professionals would guide them, and that workshops would build skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving.
“This initiative not only provides them with practical experience but also opens doors to potential career opportunities,” Mr Njeru said.
Why the housing programme needs interns
The Affordable Housing Programme targets 200,000 units a year, and the projects are spread across all 47 counties. Each site needs architects, engineers, planners, quantity surveyors and inspectors, and the department says the interns will help speed up delivery and raise quality on the ground.
The programme is funded largely through the Affordable Housing Levy, which takes 1.5% of an employee’s gross salary, matched by the employer. Our guide to the Affordable Housing Levy explains how the deduction works, and our explainer on how to apply for an affordable house covers the Boma Yangu registration process for buyers.
The intake builds on an earlier Affordable Housing Internship Programme launched by President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, which he said would bring on board 4,000 graduate professionals from universities and technical colleges. At that launch he also directed the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Public Works to scale up the number of people working in the programme from 320,000 to 600,000.
What it means for graduates
For thousands of diploma and degree holders who finished college but could not find work, a year of paid experience on government projects is a strong entry on a CV. The internships are concentrated in built environment fields where employers usually demand site experience, which fresh graduates find hard to get.
Graduates who missed this round should watch PSC and State Department adverts for future intakes. Applications for public service internships usually ask for a national ID, academic certificates, a KRA PIN and, for some posts, a certificate of good conduct. Our guide to the documents you need before applying for jobs in Kenya lists them, and you can follow new openings on JobinKenya.
The department says more young people are expected to be brought on board as housing projects continue across the counties.
Frequently asked questions
How many interns did the housing department hire?
The State Department for Housing and Urban Development said in October 2025 that it was finishing the onboarding of 7,000 interns recruited through the Public Service Commission.
How long is the housing internship?
It lasts 12 months and is not renewable. Interns get a monthly stipend and a certificate on completion.
Who qualified for the housing internship?
Applicants needed a diploma or degree in one of more than 40 relevant fields and must have graduated in 2018 or later.
Related: Affordable Housing internship 2026: 6,000 posts open, apply by November 9
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