Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has called on the government to fulfil a promise of a new home to a mother of four from Letter Kenny, Region Six, whom he said has been left without adequate housing after dismantling her existing structure in anticipation of a Men on Mission home.
Mohamed made the remarks during a visit with 40-year-old Basmat Lakeraj, a part-time government worker, whose housing situation he said is deplorable.
Lakeraj was assessed and informed that she qualified for a home under the Men on Mission initiative after then-Region Six Vice Chairman and PPP/C Member of Parliament Zamal Hussain visited her property.
Mohamed said Lakeraj had been promised the house before the 2025 general elections and subsequently dismantled her existing home in anticipation of construction. However, he said more than a year later, construction had not begun.
Lakeraj told Mohamed that she is currently staying with her mother in a downstairs area, after her family’s previous structure was dismantled.
During the visit, Mohamed inspected the location and described the living conditions as unacceptable. He also questioned why the government had not yet delivered the promised home, pointing to the funding allocated to the Men on Mission programme.
The Office of the President said in March 2026 that $900 million was earmarked for Men on Mission housing and other projects that year. At the time, the programme had handed over more than 170 homes nationwide, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).
More recently, DPI reported in June that approximately 166 homes had been completed through the initiative, including 114 in 2025, while additional rehabilitation and building-material assistance had also been provided to vulnerable families.
Mohamed has said that the funds allocated to Men on Mission are public funds and should be used to assist vulnerable citizens. “These monies don’t belong to the PPP or Zamal Hussein or Zulfikar Mustafa or the President,” he said, noting that taxpayers should not have to wait for assistance that has already been promised.
Lakeraj also alleged during the meeting that she was discouraged from attending one of Hussein’s meetings in Letter Kenny before the elections after raising the issue of her housing needs. She said she had contacted persons associated with the process after being told that a house would be constructed, but the promised work did not materialise.
“If you don’t hear from them in two months, let me know,” Mohamed told Lekraj, adding that he would seek to assist her through his office and, if necessary, from his personal savings.
The Men on Mission initiative, launched in 2022, provides housing assistance to vulnerable citizens, including through the construction of new homes, rehabilitation and repairs, and the provision of building materials.
In August, the government reported that 10 vulnerable families in Region Six had received newly constructed homes through the initiative, including beneficiaries in Letter Kenny North.
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