President Ruto has lined up several major projects for commissioning and launching in his five-day tour of Mt Kenya region.
President William Ruto has lined up several major projects for commissioning and launching in his politically significant five-day tour of Mt Kenya region, scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
State House on Sunday shared with the Nation the President’s programme, including some of the projects he is set to launch, in an extensive tour seen as a response to the perceived growing political hostility against his administration following the impeachment of Mr Rigathi Gachagua as Deputy President.
The region that swept Dr Ruto to power has also become hostile over claims of unfulfilled promises. Dr Ruto rode to power on lofty promises to create jobs for millions of unemployed youths and bring down the cost of living.
Roads, affordable housing, fresh produce markets, last mile electricity connectivity, water and irrigation top the list of projects the President will launch in Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Murang'a, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi and Kiambu counties.
For the five days, the President will be operating from the Sagana State Lodge, with a tentative programme showing that he will start with Laikipia and Nyeri in his first day of the tour.
A billboard featuring photographs of President William Ruto, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, and Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi stands in Karatina Town on March 25, 2025, welcoming the President to the Mt. Kenya region.
Dr Ruto last visited the region in August 2024, before the impeachment of Mr Gachagua in October the same year. Analysts believe that how the region receives him will be of political significance to the President, Mr Gachagua and his successor Prof Kithure Kindiki going into the 2027 General Elections.
Three million votes
The 10 Mt Kenya counties and the seven from North Rift collectively handed Dr Ruto 4.5 million votes, which translated to 63 per cent of his total votes of 7,176,141. Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Murang'a, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, Kiambu and Nakuru collectively handed him nearly three million votes.
The figures make the region crucial for his 2027 re-election bid. Mr Gachagua, who has since turned into one of his fiercest critics, has vowed to make him a one-term president, with plans of launching a new party in May.
The State House said that some of the projects to be inspected by the President are complete, ready for launching in the ongoing implementation of the transformative Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda – while others are in various stages of completion.
“He will therefore commission completed projects, inspect ongoing ones and launch others in 9 counties - Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Murang'a, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi and Kiambu,” said State House.
The President will also issue title deeds in Kieni (Nyeri) and Tigania West (Meru) constituencies. He will also inspect ongoing construction of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIPS) in Laikipia West and in Githunguri (Kiambu) as well as a Special Economic Zone in Maragua (Murang'a).
The National Government and counties have been collaborating in the construction of 47 CAIPS, one in every county at a cost of Sh500 million each, with the two levels of government contributing Sh250 million to provide the necessary space and infrastructure for investors.
JM Memorial Hospital
The Head of State will also inspect ongoing water, sanitation and sewerage projects in Igembe South in Meru County, Maragua in Murang'a and Mbeere North in Embu.
The programme also includes visiting livestock feedlots in Tigania West and South Imenti in Meru County.
The feedlots are meant to boost the livestock value chain and the government's support for farmers to produce quality meat, hides and skins, especially for the European Union and Middle East markets.
In Nyandarua County, the President will tour JM Memorial Hospital in Ol Kalou. The national government seeks to work with the county government to complete the medical facility, with plans of having it as the only level 5 hospital in the county.
President William Ruto, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. President Ruto begins his tour of Mt Kenya region on April 1, 2025.
President Ruto considers this a major boost to the implementation of Universal Health Coverage and Taifa Care. In Muranga County, he will visit the Kenya Medical Training College in Kangema.
The President will also commission police houses in Chuka Igambang'ombe and student hostels at Tharaka University in Tharaka-Nithi County.
“Institutional housing has been a major challenge, especially for universities, colleges and the security forces. The Housing Levy is, therefore, helping tackle this challenge by providing modern accommodation for the military, police, prisons, universities and colleges, including technical training institutes,” said State House.
In Mbeere South Constituency, the President will inspect the ongoing Kiambere Bulk Water Project. He will also visit the section of Mau Mau Road under construction in Lari Constituency in Kiambu.
Mau Mau roads were recently allocated Sh5 billion and are being built along the Aberdare and Mt Kenya forests in Kiambu, Murang'a, Nyandarua and Nyeri counties.
Further, various affordable housing projects will be inspected or launched in Laikipia East, Ol Kalou and Kinangop (Nyandarua), Kandara and Maragua (Murang'a), Chuka Igambang'ombe (Tharaka-Nithi) and Nyeri Town.
Affordable housing is one of President Ruto’s pet projects. Although it has remained unpopular among Kenyans, especially the salaried ones, the Kenya Kwanza administration insists that the project is designed to alleviate the shortage of accommodation, especially in urban areas.
Further, the government has touted it as a major source of employment for the youth, besides enabling Kenyans to secure mortgages for as low as Sh3,000.
“Crucially, the Affordable Housing Programme is providing hundreds of thousands of jobs for young people across the country. They are being hired as architects, quantity surveyors, carpenters, engineers, masons, electricians, plumbers, steel fixers and general workers,” states State House.
Further, in fulfilment of the pledge to Mama Mboga and traders to ensure they have adequate space and sanitation at their places of work, President Ruto will visit modern fresh produce markets in various stages of completion in Kieni (Nyeri), Laikipia East, Igembe South and Tigania East (Meru), Kirinyaga Central, Kinangop (Nyandarua) and Chuka Igambang'ombe (Tharaka-Nithi).
Other markets for inspection are in Tharaka (Tharaka-Nithi), Runyenjes and Manyatta (Embu), Othaya (Nyeri) and Githunguri (Kiambu). Nationally, close to 500 markets are being built.
In his plan of connecting more Kenyans to electricity so as to stimulate economic activities, the President will launch various Last Mile Electricity Connectivity projects in Laikipia West, Kieni (Nyeri), South Imenti (Meru), Kirinyaga Central, Ol Kalou (Nyandarua) and Manyatta (Embu).
In the last couple of weeks, the President has also been holding a series of meetings with the region’s elected leaders at State House, Nairobi, as part of his elaborate consultations before kicking off the tour of the region.
In his efforts to thaw any hostility during the visit, President Ruto’s allies, including governors, Cabinet Secretaries, MPs, Principal Secretaries and parastatal heads, have been camping in the region to inspect projects while calling on the people not to follow Mr Gachagua ‘blindly’.
mnyamori@ke.nationmedia.com
