President William Ruto will on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, begin his five-day tour of the Mt Kenya region since his last visit to the region in August 2024.
During the visit, the president will commission several development projects that are at various stages of completion while others are ripe for launching in the ongoing implementation of the transformative Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
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.
The projects include roads, affordable housing, fresh produce markets, last mile electricity connectivity, water and irrigation, among others.
He 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 Githunguri (Kiambu), and a Special Economic Zone in Maragua (Murang’a).
The National Government and counties are collaborating in the construction of 47 CAIPS, one in every county at a cost of Ksh500 million each, with the two levels of government contributing Ksh250 million to provide the necessary space and infrastructure for investors in many economic aspects, including manufacturing and value addition of agricultural produce.
Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are going to play similar roles but at a higher scale, including in pharmaceuticals.
Already, the government is building 6 new SEZs in Dongo Kundu (Mombasa), Sagana (Kirinyaga), Thika (Kiambu), Naivasha (Nakuru), Eldoret (Uasin Gishu) and Nasewa (Busia).
President Ruto will also inspect ongoing water, sanitation and sewerage programmes in Igembe South (Meru), Maragua in Murang’a and Mbeere North (Embu).
The itinerary also includes visiting livestock feedlots in Tigania West and South Imenti (Meru). These 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 addition, the President will tour the incomplete JM Memorial Hospital in Ol Kalou (Nyandarua). The National Government will work with the county government to complete the medical facility and thus establish the only Level 5 hospital in Nyandarua.
This will be a big boost to the implementation of universal health coverage and Taifa Care. He will also visit the Kenya Medical Training College in Kangema (Murang’a).
The President will also commission police houses in Chuka Igambang’ombe (Tharaka-Nithi) and student hostels at Tharaka University.
In Mbeere South Constituency (Embu), 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 (Kiambu). Mau Mau roads were recently allocated Ksh5 billion and are being built along the Aberdare and Mt Kenya forests in Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyandarua and Nyeri counties.
At the same time, 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 will alleviate shortage of accommodation, especially in urban areas, enabling many more Kenyans to secure mortgages for as low as KSh3,000, and begin to spare agricultural land more for production and less for settlement.
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 are in Tharaka (Tharaka-Nithi), Runyenjes and Manyatta (Embu), Othaya (Nyeri) and Githunguri (Kiambu). Nationally, close to 500 markets are being built.
The President will also launch various Last Mile Electricity Connectivity projects in Laikipia West, Kieni (Nyeri), South Imenti (Meru), Kirinyaga Central, Ol Kalou (Nyandarua) and Manyatta (Embu).
