President William Ruto has promised that Meru will be the next town in Kenya to be elevated to city status, following similar pledges for Bungoma and Homa Bay.
Speaking on Saturday, June 21, 2025, in Meru town, after the 10th Annual Dairy Farmers Field Day at the ASK Grounds in Meru County, Ruto told residents that his government had already begun laying the foundation for the town’s elevation.
“Mumeskia governor, anasema mnataka Meru iwe the next city ya Kenya. Ni hiyo ama sivyo? Mnataka Meru iwe city? The next one kwa Kenya? Sasa nyinyi mnafikiri mimi sikuwa najua? Ndio nimejipanga na Meru mbele kwa sababu najua hii ndio itakuwa city next,” he said.
Translation: “You’ve heard the governor saying you want Meru to be the next city in Kenya. Isn’t that right? You want Meru to be a city, the next one in Kenya? You think I didn’t know? I have already planned with Meru ahead of time because I know this will be the next city.”
Meru next in city race
Ruto’s remarks put Meru in line after Bungoma and Homa Bay, which he had earlier promised to support in their push for city status.
Speaking during the launch of the Homa Bay Pier on Friday, May 30, 2025, Ruto announced plans to elevate Homa Bay Town to city status, making it the second city in the Nyanza region after Kisumu.
“Watu wa Homa Bay, wakati nilikuja hapa tulikua na makubaliano na nyinyi. Sindio? Na mulisema munataka tubadilishe Homa Bay iwache kuwa town iwe city. Ni kweli ama si kweli bwana,” he said.
Loosely translated: “People of Homa Bay, when I came here last time, we had an agreement, didn’t we? You said you want Homa Bay to stop being a town and become a city. Isn’t that right?”
During the 2024 Madaraka Day celebrations in Bungoma, he also told residents there that he would elevate Bungoma into a city.
Ruto’s statement in Meru comes at a time when local leaders and residents have been pushing for more development and recognition of the town’s growing economic role in the Mt Kenya region.
The president said the government had already set aside funds to upgrade market infrastructure in Meru, part of efforts to prepare it for urban status.
“Mimi nimewapatia shilingi bilioni moja ya kujenga soko kubwa pale Gakoromone. Na tunajenga soko zingine kumi na sita hapa Meru,” Ruto said.
“Tume wawekea pesa karibu shilingi bilioni mbili ya kujenga soko hapa Meru kwa sababu hatutaki mazao yenu yaharibike. That is why katika kila constituency tunajenga soko.”
Translation: “I have given you KSh1 billion to build a big market at Gakoromone. We are building 16 more markets in Meru.
“We have allocated close to Ksh2 billion to build markets in Meru because we don’t want your produce to go to waste. That’s why we’re constructing a market in every constituency.”
The promise also arrives amid rising political activity in Meru, with opposition figures holding parallel rallies in the county. Despite this, Ruto urged residents to stay focused on development and avoid divisive politics.
Meru now joins the growing list of towns in Kenya seeking city status, alongside Homa Bay, Bungoma, and Thika, as the government rolls out its urbanisation and infrastructure plans.
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a digital writer with over five years of experience. He graduated in February 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from The Co-operative University of Kenya. He has written news and feature stories for platforms such as Construction Review Online, Sports Brief, Briefly News, and Criptonizando. In 2023, he completed a course in Digital Investigation Techniques with AFP. He joined K24 Digital in May 2025. For inquiries, he can be reached at [email protected].
