Gachagua lists Ruto projects for Northern Kenya that never happened
By Kenneth Mwenda, February 10, 2026Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua delivered a stark message at a press conference on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, accusing President William Ruto of failing to deliver on major promises to Northern Kenya.
Gachagua said the government should have built water pans, dams and released emergency funds in time for drought‑hit communities. Instead, he said the government only allocated 4 billion Kenya shillings to 23 arid counties.
He explained this translates to about 173 million per county and just Ksh1,200 shillings per person for 3.3 million people in need – far below the United Nations minimum food basket of around Ksh2,700 shillings per person in rural areas.
Gachagua also criticised the Office of the Deputy President for spending Ksh338 million on private jets, chartered airplanes and helicopters while drought continues. He said the government does not take human life seriously.
He added that leaders from the north who have failed to account for over 1 trillion shillings since devolution in 2013 remain silent and comfortable in Nairobi.
He framed the suffering in the north not as a regional issue but as a national tragedy.
“The people of Northern Kenya are Kenyans. Their children are Kenyan children,” he said. “Any Kenyan oppressed or neglected today is a warning to us all.”
Gachagua said as President Ruto prepared to tour Wajir, Mandera and Garissa to roll out the NYOTA cash programme, the people must remember that life is more important than political rallies and speeches.
“The NYOTA program is a World Bank program happening in other African countries like Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, Togo, yet we have not seen their presidents turn this into re-election campaign rallies across their countries,” he said.
Below are the main counties and the major unfulfilled promises Gachagua listed.
Northern Kenya overview
Gachagua said Northern Kenya suffers deeper hardship than most parts of the country. He said less than 35 per cent of the population in the northern counties have access to clean and safe drinking water, compared with a national average of about 68 per cent.
He said over 850,000 school‑going children did not attend school last year and the same number are out of school this year.
“Schools here have no classrooms, no laboratories, no teachers. Children study under trees. Does this prick your humanity at all?” Gachagua asked.
He described dire health conditions, noting that in Mandera County, half of all women give birth at home without a nurse or doctor, and only 6 per cent of children aged 12 to 23 months are fully vaccinated.
Gachagua pointed to Garissa County as having the highest maternal deaths in the country, with 247 women per every 1,000 dying during childbirth. He challenged the President to ask his closest ally and Cabinet Secretary for Health, who comes from Garissa, to explain this.
He said extreme poverty is widespread, with Wajir at 90 per cent, Marsabit at 85.8 per cent, and Mandera, Isiolo and Garissa each over 77 per cent.
Gachagua said these numbers represent mothers dying, children going hungry, and families suffering daily.
“Because William Ruto, you are part of the mess in the north through lies and fake promises, before you make other promises starting tomorrow, note that the promises you have made to the north in the last three years are running into trillions of shillings burdened in lies.”
Marsabit County
Gachagua first addressed promises made at the Marsabit‑Turkana cultural festival in November 2023.
He said President Ruto promised that residents would be connected to the national electricity grid through the Turkana wind power by 2024.
“We are in 2026, and the status quo remains, zero works have commenced,” Gachagua said.
He also listed other unfulfilled promises:
- Ruto promised main power grids in Moyale, Marsabit and North Horr. None have started.
- The Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs was to construct fish landing sites and processing zones in Turkana County. Gachagua said drought and cattle rustling continue instead.
- Ruto said Turkana University College would be granted a charter by 2024 to become a fully‑fledged public university. Years later, Gachagua said, there is still no charter.
- He also said Ruto promised to deal with female genital mutilation (FGM) in Marsabit. Today, the prevalence in Marsabit is around 83 per cent, ranking the county among the highest in Kenya.
Mandera County
Gachagua recounted promises from President Ruto’s tour of Mandera between 4th and 7th February 2025.
He said Ruto promised to end marginalisation and push inclusive development. A year later, Gachagua said:
- Mandera County has no roads, no sewage system and the drought is killing camels.
- Children still study under trees.
- Ruto promised to connect Mandera to the national grid through Ethiopia but Mandera still receives electricity only once every 24 hours.
- The President also talked of putting 1.2 million acres of land in the Mandera Triangle under irrigation. “To date, no progress has been reported.”
- At Mandera Teachers Training College, Ruto promised support to improve educational infrastructure and recruit more teachers. Gachagua asked, “Which single school has been built since then?”
On security and counter‑terrorism, Ruto pledged action after a high‑profile abduction incident. Gachagua said recent reports show Jubaland forces occupied much of Mandera town, yet the President has not commented.
On infrastructure, Ruto promised to expand road and energy connectivity linking Mandera to the rest of Kenya. “It remains a lie,” Gachagua said.
Ruto also promised to speed up the Mandera water supply and sanitation project at a cost of Ksh3.1 billion, but Gachagua called it a “white elephant.”
Wajir County
Gachagua said President Ruto promised many projects in Wajir:
- Connect 20,000 households to electricity and expand rural electrification, costing Ksh3.6 billion. Gachagua said no single home has been connected.
- “Why did you lie to the people of Wajir?” Gachagua asked directly.
- He said Ruto promised equitable development and economic growth for Wajir and the broader northeastern region, but corruption and officials looting funds have blocked progress.
- Ruto also promised to launch and support local projects in Wajir like Tarbaj Teachers Training College, livestock vaccination drives, county assembly facilities, industrial parks, housing projects, and hospitals. Gachagua said zero progress has been made.
Gachagua also listed roads and infrastructure that remain stalled, including:
- Habasweni and Eldas township roads;
- Bute roads;
- Wajir bypass;
- Eldas Road;
- Habaswein mosque waterfall road;
- Ramu, Gari, Elwak, Kobo, Kotulo, Tarbaj, Wajir, Samatar and Modogashe roads – many have stalled works, and workers haven’t been paid.
He said Wajir Level 5 Hospital and Griftu Level 4 Hospital still lack basic sterilisation and surgical sets and reliable power supply.
Isiolo & Garissa Counties
In Isiolo, Gachagua said Ruto promised to upgrade the Isiolo‑Kulamawe‑Modogashe Road to bitumen standard on 11 April 2023. “Again, it remains a lie.” He also said the Ksh9.4 billion Isiolo‑Garissa Road is stalled and water and sewage infrastructure in Isiolo Town, costing Ksh7.5 billion, has made no progress.
Meanwhile, in Garissa County, Gachagua pointed again to poor health outcomes. He said promises to improve maternal health and access to care have not translated into real results.
Other projects and Lamu County
Gachagua added that Ruto promised many water pans and irrigation projects in Wajir but these remain unimplemented.
He said the President promised Mutagawada Road works with Ksh700 million shillings in Lamu on November 4, 2023, yet the project has not started. He also asked where the 1 billion shillings for nine fishing yard sites from Mkwue in Lamu is.