President William Ruto announced a bold and multifaceted urban development plan aimed at transforming Nairobi into a cleaner, safer, and more equitable city.
Speaking during a visit to Kibera following a tragic fire incident that reportedly claimed eight lives, the President laid out a series of investments in housing, infrastructure, healthcare, and employment.
The Head of State began by expressing condolences to the affected families and announced that the government will cover the medical bills of those injured in the Kibera fire. He also donated food and household supplies to victims and revealed that the national government would allocate KSh500 million in the upcoming financial year to remove dangerous illegal power connections in informal settlements — a leading cause of deadly fires.
“I have requested Parliament’s Budget and Appropriations Committee to set aside funds to correct illegal electricity connections that occasionally result in tragedy,” Ruto said.
To boost emergency preparedness, Ruto committed to donating land to the Nairobi County Government to construct a new fire station in Kibera. He emphasized that such facilities are critical to addressing disasters and improving residents’ safety.
Affordable Housing
Turning to housing, the President shared updates on the Affordable Housing Programme, reporting that 60,000 units are under construction in Nairobi, including 25,000 in Kibra and Lang’ata constituencies. He noted that low-income Kenyans were already moving into these new estates, proving the impact of his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
“Our bottom-up agenda is coming true, as people at the bottom of the economic pyramid are now moving into their own houses in decent estates,” he said.
The government has also committed KSh2.1 billion to upgrade roads across the capital. On education, Ruto announced the construction of 240 classrooms — a project he is personally sponsoring — and confirmed the employment of 24,000 more teachers in the coming fiscal year, following the hiring of 76,000 over the past two years.
He also expanded on the environmental front, revealing plans to grow the Nairobi River Basin Regeneration Programme, which currently employs 20,000 youth to clean the city’s rivers. The President pledged to increase that number to 50,000, turning environmental conservation into a significant source of jobs.
In a strong call to action, he urged Kenyans to enroll in the Social Health Authority (SHA), underlining that access to healthcare is not a privilege but a constitutional right.
“Lifting those who are down so that we achieve equity is not an injustice to those who are up,” he added.
Ruto concluded his address by emphasizing his commitment to national unity and inclusive governance, affirming that a broad-based government would accelerate the country’s growth and ensure no region or community is left behind.
