President William Ruto has said Kenya is set to remain a major construction hub for the next 25 to 30 years, driven by sustained investment in housing and infrastructure projects across the country.

He spoke during the commissioning of 5,500 graduate interns under the Affordable Housing Programme at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, January 23, 2026.

Addressing the interns, President Ruto underscored the long-term outlook of the government’s construction agenda, urging young professionals to prepare for extended opportunities in the sector.

“This program is just starting. We are going to be in this construction space for the next 25 to 30 years. Prepare yourselves,” he said.

Affordable housing and long-term planning

The President noted that the Affordable Housing Programme was conceived as part of broader policy planning ahead of the 2022 General Election, with the aim of addressing housing shortages while creating employment opportunities.

He said the commissioning of the interns demonstrated that the programme was moving from planning to execution.

“We set out a plan to have a conversation and put ideas into a plan, a manifesto, and one of them was the housing program. We are happy that today this is one of the indications that our manifestos are working and that it was about the issues that affect real people,” Ruto said.

He added that the scale and duration of construction activities envisaged under the programme would require a steady supply of skilled professionals, making it necessary to integrate graduates into active projects early in their careers.

Graduate interns join ongoing projects

The 5,500 interns commissioned include architects, civil engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers, quantity surveyors and other built-environment professionals. They will be deployed to affordable housing sites across the country, where they are expected to gain hands-on experience while supporting project implementation.

According to the programme framework, the interns will receive monthly stipends jointly funded by the government and supervising consultants. The arrangement is designed to bridge the gap between academic training and practical work experience.

President Ruto told the interns that their placement was intended to help them translate classroom knowledge into real-world skills. “We are allowing you to actualise your dreams and to sharpen what you learned in school,” he said.

Sustaining internships and job creation

The President said the internship model would be sustained as part of efforts to absorb the growing number of graduates entering the labour market each year. He described the approach as a tested method of linking public investment projects with employment creation.

“We shall continue doing this because it’s what has been tried and tested, and it is what is working,” Ruto said.