• Housing crisis hits hard on Solomon Islanders, warns Kuku

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

THE housing crisis in Honiara and other urban centres is threatening the livelihoods of public servants, young professionals, and small business owners, warns John Dean Kuku, Member of Parliament for North New Georgia and acting Opposition Leader.

Raising concern over the 2026 national budget currently before Parliament, MP Kuku described the housing situation as a “silent emergency.”

He said rising land prices, restrictive bank lending, and a lack of affordable housing programs are forcing many into informal settlements with poor living conditions and no security of tenure.

“Our young professionals, nurses, teachers, police officers, public servants, and small business owners are being priced out of decent accommodation,” Kuku said.

“Many of our people end up in informal settlements, paying rent for poor conditions with no security of tenure,” he said.

MP Kuku stressed that the budget offers little focus on housing programs or customary land recording, leaving key issues like urban land reform and affordable housing unaddressed.

He added there is no subsidy or support framework for first-home buyers and no plan to protect indigenous Solomon Islanders from being displaced by foreign investment.

“This is not a problem we can leave to the market while we watch from the side,” Kuku said.

“It is a structural issue that demands a serious policy response. The 2026 budget continues to ignore it.”

The call highlights growing public concern over the rising cost of living and the urgent need for government intervention to secure safe and affordable housing for all Solomon Islanders.

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