NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 12 – President William Ruto says the number of youth working in the Affordable Housing Programme will rise to one million by 2026.
Speaking during his working tour of Makueni County, Ruto noted that 600,000 youth have currently been absorbed into the flagship project where the government plans to construct 1,000,000 houses across the country by 2027.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for being part of the transformation of Wote and Kenya,” he said while addressing hundreds of jubilant workers at the site.
He also laid the foundation stone for a new KSh360 fresh modern market in Wote town.
The President said the government has allocated KSh570 million to build a new stadium in Wote, and asked the Makueni County leadership to find suitable land for it.
Furthermore, he said the government has allocated KSh9.3 billion to complete pending works at the Thwake Multipurpose Dam by April 2026.
President Ruto said he is open to working with all Kenyans and political leaders from all parties to take Kenya forward.
“We now have the broad-based government, which brings together all Kenyans, including the people of Makueni and the entire Ukambani,” he said.
The President assured the residents of the Lower Eastern counties of Makueni, Kitui and Machakos that they will not be left behind in national development.
He pointed out that the region had overstayed in opposition politics, but said they will be part of Kenya’s journey of national transformation.
“Even if its by force, I’ll make sure that you’re not left behind in national development irrespective of the political support you have accorded me previously or in the future,” Ruto said at Kasikeu in Kilome Constituency, Makueni County, during the start of a four-day tour of development projects in the region.
He added: “For long, Ukambani has lagged behind in national development, but we are here to correct that.”
