KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 897 MyKiosk units nationwide were still vacant as of August, despite RM150mil being allocated to build more than 7,200 kiosks under the programme.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said 6,346 of the 7,243 units built under MyKiosk 1.0 and 2.0 had been occupied and were fully operating.
"This represents an occupancy rate of 88%," he said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (Oct 20).
Nga said the MyKiosk programme was introduced to provide local traders with standardised, safe and suitable business spaces at low and affordable rental rates.
The programme received RM150mil under the 2023 and 2024 Madani Budgets.
He said the ministry was working with local authorities to fill the vacant units and ensure that the kiosks were used properly.
Among the measures taken are regular inspections to review whether kiosk locations are suitable and to speed up the process of finding tenants.
The ministry is also holding discussions with local authorities to address local problems, while councils can apply for additional funding under BP.1 for maintenance and repair works.
Nga said the ministry would also use a traffic-light system to monitor occupancy rates.
Local authorities placed in the red zone due to poor occupancy rates will not be considered for approval of new projects under BP.1, he said.
"The ministry wishes to stress that there are no MyKiosk units that are abandoned or operating halfway," Nga said.
He was replying to Hulu Terengganu MP Datuk Rosol Wahid, who asked for the latest status of the MyKiosk programme, including its occupancy rate, operating units and the number of units left unused.
