President William Ruto will from tomorrow return to Mt Kenya counties to pacify the ground that propelled him to the presidency in the August 2022 elections and has since turned its back on him.

Having dispatched his Deputy Prof. Kithure Kindiki ahead of his tour to appease the restive mountain, President Ruto, who broke ranks with his former deputy-turned-foe Rigathi Gachagu,a will dangle goodies to woo the mountain.

The president will be returning to the mountain since his last visit in August 2024 for a five-day working tour to launch various projects in the region with a view to slicing some chunk of the votes ahead of the 2027 polls.

In fulfilment of the pledge to ‘Mama Mboga’ and traders to ensure they have adequate space and sanitation at their places of work, 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).

To connect more Kenyans to electricity and 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).

Charm offensive

The President, who is expected to pitch tent across the region between April 1 and April 5, 2025, will commission some completed projects, inspect ongoing ones and launch others in nine counties – Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Murang’a, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi and Kiambu respectively.

He will be on a five-day charm offensive in the region and will among other things, launch roads, affordable housing, fresh produce markets, last mile electricity connectivity, water and irrigation. He will also issue title deeds in Kieni (Nyeri) and Tigania West (Meru) constituencies and 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) County respectively.

“The national government and counties are collaborating in the construction of 47 CAIPS, one in every county, at a cost of Sh500 million each. The two levels of government contributing Sh250 million to provide the necessary space and infrastructure for investors in many economic aspects, including manufacturing and value addition of agricultural produce,” reads part of the President’s itinerary seen by People Daily.

Some projects have been completed. Many are in various stages of completion while others are ripe for launching in the ongoing implementation of Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the government’s blueprint.

The government has been keen on Special Economic Zones (SEZ), which are going to play similar roles but at a higher scale, including in pharmaceuticals.

Already, the government is building some six new Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Dongo Kundu (Mombasa), Sagana (Kirinyaga), Thika (Kiambu), Naivasha (Nakuru), Eldoret (Uasin Gishu) and Nasewa (Busia).

A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a designated area within a country that offers a unique set of economic incentives and regulations, different from the rest of the country, to attract foreign and domestic investment.

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,” the communique reads in part.

In addition, the president will tour the incomplete JM Memorial Hospital in Ol Kalou (Nyandarua) as well as commission police houses in Chuka Igambang’ombe (Tharaka-Nithi) and student hostels at Tharaka University.

Housing problem

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 (UHC) and Taifa Care. He will also visit the Kenya Medical Training College in Kangema (Murang’a).

Institutional housing has been a major challenge especially for universities, colleges and the security forces. To address this, the Housing Levy has been tackling the challenge by providing modern accommodation for the military, police, prisons, universities and colleges, including technical training institutes.

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.

According to the State, affordable housing will alleviate shortage of accommodation, especially in urban areas, enabling many more Kenyans to secure mortgages for as low as Sh3,000, and begin to spare agricultural land more for production and less for settlement.

Crucially, the programme is also providing hundreds of thousands of jobs for young people across the country, who are hired as architects, quantity surveyors, carpenters, engineers, masons, electricians, plumbers and steel fixers.

In Mbeere South constituency (Embu), Ruto will also inspect the ongoing Kiambere Bulk Water Project and visit the section of Mau Mau Road under construction in Lari Constituency (Kiambu). The roads were recently allocated Sh5billion and are being built along the Aberdare and Mt Kenya forests in Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyandarua and Nyeri counties respectively.