Ruto's new plan for Nairobi as he tables his three-year scorecard to Kenyans

President William Ruto on Friday unveiled major infrastructure plans for roads in Nairobi as he tabled his scorecard for the three years the Kenya Kwanza administration has been in power.

From the construction of a new expressway to Thika from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the dualling of the Rongai and Ngong routes, the reconstruction of lower-deck Mombasa Road, and the dualling of the Kiambu Road, President Ruto said the new projects are part of his plan for the dualling of 2,500 kilometres of highways and the tarmacking of 28,000 kilometres more.

On the JKIA-Thika Expressway plan, he said: “Many citizens live in Thika, and now Thika Road has also become congested, with heavy traffic along the highway. I would like to announce that next year, just as we have the expressway from JKIA, we will also build an expressway from Thika to Museum Hill so that we can eliminate traffic on that road.”

The President was speaking at the 62nd Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo National Stadium.

Starting this month, President Ruto announced that the reconstruction of the lower deck of Mombasa Road will begin, a move set to unlock traffic congestion that has characterised the major highway. The lower deck road faced major destruction during the construction of the 27-kilometre expressway at Sh70.78 billion, and which runs from Mlolongo in Machakos to Westlands in Nairobi.

“Now that the Expressway is complete and people are using the upper lanes, the lower road has experienced problems. That is why, starting this December, as we approach Christmas, we will reconstruct and beautify it so that Nairobi can truly reflect the status of our nation.”

President Ruto also announced that the Bomas–Ongata Rongai–Kiserian/Magadi Road will be upgraded to dual carriageways starting next year.

The stretch to Rongai will run from the Bomas of Kenya all the way to Kiserian, while the Ngong route will extend from Bomas to Karen, through Bulbul, and onward to Kiserian.

“I would like to announce that starting next year, we will make the road a dual carriageway, so that residents there can travel more easily,” President Ruto said.

Laying the ground for the country’s take-off to a first-world economy, President Ruto revealed that the Cabinet will on Monday convene to consider and approve the Sovereign Wealth Fund policy.

“The Cabinet will meet to consider and approve the architecture of the National Infrastructure Fund, as the engine that will align our financial resources with our development goals,” President Ruto said.

President Ruto pointed out that with the National Infrastructure Fund and the Sovereign Wealth Fund, the country will begin the journey of transformation that “will lead us from the bottom up, charging forward full-steam to economic freedom and taking Kenya to a first-world economy.”

“The National Infrastructure Fund will not just be a financing instrument; it will be a generational strategy to mobilise capital, accelerate delivery, preserve value and secure Kenya’s long-term competitiveness,” President Ruto said.

Sh10 more 

The President explained that every shilling in the National Infrastructure Fund will attract 10 more shillings from long-term investors, including pension funds, sovereign partners, private equity funds, and development finance institutions, "allowing us to develop without the constraints that come with debt and taxation”.

He said that under the National Infrastructure Fund, all privatisation proceeds will be ring-fenced and invested strictly into public infrastructure development that generates and preserves value.

As he unveiled his new plan for the capital city, President Ruto also seized the moment to outline major achievements of his government three years since coming into office.

Using the Bottom-Up Economic Model that propelled the Kenya Kwanza administration into power, President Ruto said the country has witnessed massive improvements in various facets of the economy.

From healthcare, education, agriculture, manufacturing to economic empowerment, the President said the country is on the right trajectory towards economic liberation as it races towards becoming a first-world economy.

On education, President Ruto said that a total of 76,000 teachers have been hired since he took office, with the number expected to rise to 100,000 next month.

He noted that to date, the government has built 23,000 new classrooms, and 1,600 laboratories are under construction across the nation.

On the new student funding model, President Ruto said it has brought previously marginalised students on board.

“Through the student-centred funding model, we placed the learner at the heart of our reforms. For the first time in our history, scholarships and loans now follow need and merit, ensuring that every deserving student has a just and equal opportunity to pursue their dreams,” President Ruto said.

“Nearly 500,000 students have already benefited from this funding model; students who, under previous systems, would have been excluded by policies that failed to recognise them,” he added.

Under the new model, President Ruto said the financial burden has been lifted from families and enabled students to choose courses that align with their talents, their aspirations, and the needs of the nation.

On healthcare, President Ruto pointed out that a total of 18 million vulnerable Kenyans who were previously not covered have been brought on board under the Social Health Authority (SHA).

The President said the engagement of 110,000 Community Health Promoters has brought maximum impact in communities, with over nine million households visited so far and millions screened for various ailments, including diabetes and hypertension.

On the Affordable Housing front, President Ruto pointed out that in just three years, over 240,000 affordable homes, hostels for 180,000 students, 30,000 institutional housing units for military, police and prison officers, and over 400 new markets for traders are under construction across all 47 counties.

“This is the largest public infrastructure transformation ever undertaken, not just in Kenya, but also in our region, so far standing at an investment of Sh650 billion,” President Ruto said.

In agriculture, President Ruto said over 7.2 million farmers have been brought into a single national digital database—a move that has allowed the government to know “who they are, where they are, what they grow, and what they need, locking out cartels in the sector.”

“We lowered the cost of production. We brought the price of fertiliser down, and in doing so, we restored profitability to the smallholder farmer who produces over 70 per cent of our food,” President Ruto said.

In the digital and creative economy, President Ruto said 2 million Kenyans have been trained in digital skills, and nearly 300,000 are already earning income.

“Through the Kazi Majuu Programme, nearly 500,000 Kenyans have secured well-paying job opportunities abroad,” President Ruto said.

He pointed out that over Sh80 billion has been disbursed under the Hustler Fund, with over nine million Kenyans now repeat customers, and more than seven million who were previously CRB-blacklisted having successfully repaired their credit histories.

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