President William Ruto is a man on a mission. In just one week, the Head of State has launched more than 10 projects worth billions of shillings in the Gusii region.
Since he was elected president, Ruto has been on the road, visiting every crook and cranny of the country launching, relaunching and commissioning projects.
He maintained the same tempo when he was deputy president. And now he seems to have gone full cycle relaunching some projects he had launched as deputy president.
Some projects which had been launched or commissioned by his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta and his ministers have not been spared either. They have witnessed a new plaque and veiling by the national flag and unveiled yet again, amidst song and dance and the flashing cameras.
Since the beginning of this month, President Ruto’s developmental tours in Coast, Mt Kenya and Western region have seen him launch projects that were already launched by the Jubilee administration in which he served as the Deputy President.
The Head of State broke ground for construction of the 76-bed capacity Kisii Cancer Treatment Centre, valued at about Sh3 billion and revealed that he had sourced the funding during a visit to Saudi Arabia last year.
Loan had a grace period
“This centre has stalled for a long time. But I went to Saudi Arabia last year and we agreed with the Saudi government that together with the Kenyan government we fund this project and build this cancer center of excellence,” he told Kisii residents two days ago.
Ruto announced that the contractor was on site and the project would be complete within 18 months ready for the launch in 2026.
In 2019, former President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that his administration had borrowed Sh2 billion from the Saudi Arabia administration for the construction of the same facility.
“Two years ago (2017), my administration committed to mobilising resources for the establishment of four cancer centres of excellence in the country. I’m happy to say that Kisii will be the first beneficiary of this initiative. Indeed, the national government will invest approximately Sh2 billion in this facility.... we borrowed this money and it must be paid,” Uhuru said. The former president disclosed that Saudi Arabia had provided the funds to start the programme as a loan.
The following year, Ongwae witnessed the signing of the loan agreement between the National Treasury and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badea) led by its President and Director General of Saudi Fund for Development Yousif Ibrahim Al Bassam in Nairobi.
Immediately after the signing of the agreement the first tranche of Sh977 million was remitted to the National Treasury as Ongwae confirmed at the time. The loan had a grace period of ten years and was to be repaid in 30 years.
The other project that President Ruto launched for the second time was the construction of an interchange at Daraja Mbili in Kisii town which was billed to be a game changer in improving infrastructure in the region.
The project was first launched on June 3, 2016, by senior officials from the State Department of Transport, Infrastructure and Housing Development who it over to the contractor.
While launching the project, the officials led by Housing Department Director Administration Mabeya Mogaka said it would cost Sh204 million and will be constructed in consultation with the Kisii county government.
“We are grateful the project is finally coming to fruition. Daraja Mbili is the second largest open-air market in Nyanza after Kibuye in Kisumu. Traders currently experience challenges due to lack of basic facilities which this project will address,” said then Kisii County Secretary Johnstone Ndege.
In his Madaraka Day address, Ongwae said: “We expected Sh600 million to fully implement the project and transform the market. This is why we commit to doing additional works including more sheds, stone pitching on Rivers Nyakomisaro and Nyanchwa, gravelling access road and washrooms.”
Before embarking on his Western region tour, Ruto was in the Mt Kenya region to initiate development projects. These included the Iriari and Kanyuambora Irrigation project which he launched on August 8.
The project which the government estimated to cost Sh280 million would abstract water from the Thuci River to irrigate 500 acres and benefit 500 farmers.
On March 8 2021 former Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki visited the same venue and launched the project which she estimated would be completed in one and half years.
The project was to cost Sh220 million.
“This project will be closely monitored to ensure that it is constructed to the required standards and completed on the stipulated time,” Kariuki said.
During his tour of Embu last week, the President also launched the tarmacking of the 25km Rukuriri-Kathageri-Kanyuambora road that he said will boost agriculture, unlock the economic potential and improve livelihoods.
But in September last year, the Kenya Rural Roads Authority announced the tendering of the spot improvement of the same road with reference number KeRRA/08/39/5/2023-24.
In his Murang’a tour, the President launched the Muranga Kiriaini road which started in 2019 but stalled in 2020.
Residents were relieved when the government’s set aside Sh598 million to complete the project in June last year.
However, when the President commissioned the project last week and pledged Sh100 million, part of the road was impassable and had been closed after it was damaged by the torrential rains in April.
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) notice had indicated that the embankment collapsed at five points and directed motorists to use alternative routes, which residents complained are too long and time-consuming.
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Ruto said the road will be repaired at a cost of Sh100 million.“I have directed the Ministry of Roads to ensure the road is opened to Murang’a town,” the President said..
In August last year, the President relaunched some projects that had been launched by his predecessor including the Sh15 million Githurai water supply project (May 2020) and was to cost Sh500 million as well as Githurai modern market which had been launched in 2019.
Other projects that had been launched by the Jubilee administration but were relaunched by President Ruto included Sh1.1 billion Kagio Water supply, initially launched on January 26 2021 but relaunched on August 2023.
The Sh60 million Othaya Water Sewerage plant was also launched in 2016 by Uhuru personally and relaunched by Ruto in August last year.
The President also relaunched the stalled projects such as the Sh4.5 billion Ichamara-Thangathi-Rutune road.
This is perhaps Kenya’s most celebrated stalled project for it has witnessed one launch by a deputy president, and second by the same man as the president.
In between it has been launched two other times by senior government officials. The road has so far been launched in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Despite all this razzmatazz, Rutune remains the the most remote part of Mukurweini where villagers at times use boats to go to some shopping centers.
Ruto relaunched the Sh1.5 billion Gatung’ang’a Chieni-State Lodge road which was 50 per cent complete.
President Ruto also visited the New KCC Kiganjo to commission the modernised pasturing machine worth Sh700 million with a capacity of processing 10,000 liters per hour two years after former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya launched the project.
The Sh800 million Kaigonji irrigation project in Tetu that the President commissioned on Monday started in 2017 and was completed in April 2024.
A fortnight ago, Ruto relaunched the Sh2.1 billion Bamba-Ganze-Kilifi road project. The road was launched by the then Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia in November 2021.
Ruto defended the move saying the project by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) was his brainchild while serving was the Deputy President in the Jubilee government.
“It will improve access to social amenities such as schools, hospitals, and markets, which will, in turn, boost the living standards through the creation of jobs and promotion of trade and investment in Ganze,” he said.
He also promised to renovate the Malindi -Sala gate road constructed by Uhuru’s regime.
“We built this road for you and I can see it has started to wear out. I will set aside funds to renovate it,” he said.
Pledged to commission
In February last year, Ruto also launched the multi-billion shilling Taifa Gas project at Dongo and is expected to commission the Mwache-Tsunza-Mteza section of the Dongo Kundu bypass.
Uhuru commissioned the Sh11 billion phase one of the Dongo Kundu bypass in June 2018. He later presided over the groundbreaking of the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in October 2019 in the Likoni sub-county.
On July 26, President Ruto launched the Sh4 billion Baricho water works project in the Malindi constituency to address water scarcity in the coastal region.
The same project that is expected to supply 40 million litres of water to 400,000 households in Mombasa and Kilifi counties had already been commissioned by Uhuru five years ago. In October 2021, the then Water CS Sicily Kariuki launched three boreholes destroyed by floods in 2018.
Ruto relaunched construction of phase one of Shimoni port on November 3, last year, and pledged to commission it by September 2024.
The first phase of the fish port is being constructed by the government through the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) at a cost of Sh2.5 billion. The president directed that the project must be complete by September 2024.
Uhuru had initiated the project when he toured Shimoni in September 2019 and July 2020.
In Taita Taveta county, Ruto opened the Voi Gemology, Value Addition, and Marketing Centre on October 27, 2023. The Sh100 million project is the first gemstone processing centre in Kenya, East, and Central Africa.
In the run-up to the 2022 General Election, Uhuru was scheduled to open the project. He failed to do so at the eleventh hour allowing President Ruto to commission it.
[Additional reporting by Patrick Beja, Renson Mnyamwezi and Marion Kithi]
