MERU, Kenya – President William Ruto has announced plans to establish a national infrastructure fund to finance major development projects across the country, in what he says will mark a shift away from heavy reliance on external borrowing.
Speaking during a church service at St. Mary’s AIPCA Church in Kathelwa, Igembe Central, Meru County, on Sunday, the President said the fund will help bridge financing gaps that have stalled roads, dams, and power projects for years.
“For long, we have been building roads which end up stalling due to lack of funds. For Kenya to grow, we must do things differently,” Ruto said.
The new financing model, he explained, will draw on local resources and private capital to ensure sustainable funding for infrastructure, while reducing Kenya’s exposure to volatile global markets.
He said he is already engaging Members of Parliament to support the creation of the fund.
Boost for stalled projects and power generation
Ruto said the fund will prioritize completing unfinished projects and expanding power generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts, a move aimed at driving industrial growth.
He cited Meru as an example, noting that the county alone needs about Sh40 billion for water projects — an amount equivalent to what has been secured for the entire country so far.
“We have done a lot to lay the foundation in the last two years, but we must up our game. Kenya should not remain at the level of a third-world country,” he said.
Meru to attain city status
The President also announced that Meru town will be elevated to city status, making it Kenya’s sixth city after Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret.
To support the transition, Ruto said the government, in partnership with the World Bank, has allocated Sh5 billion for a new 10-kilometre road and bypass network.
Another Sh800 million will go towards the construction of 17 modern markets, while Sh1 billion has been earmarked for upgrading Meru Level Five Hospital.
He added that a state lodge is under construction and will be completed by December.
Billions set aside for roads, safety and housing
Ruto said the government has set aside Sh2 billion to build and rehabilitate roads in Meru County and Sh7 billion to redesign the dangerous Nithi Bridge, which has been a black spot for decades.
“We want to straighten the Nithi Bridge so that it stops being a trap where citizens lose their lives,” he said.
In housing, the President reported that 2,000 affordable units have been completed in Meru, with another 8,000 planned, pending land acquisition.
Out of the Sh33 billion allocated for the county’s housing programme, Sh21 billion has already been spent, he said.
Education, electrification top development priorities
Ruto also highlighted progress in education and energy access, saying the government has hired 100,000 teachers and constructed 23,000 classrooms over the past two years.
“Education is empowerment. No child in Kenya will miss school,” he said, noting that university and technical college fees have been cut by up to 15 per cent to ease the burden on students from low-income families.
The President added that Sh2 billion has been allocated for rural electrification in Meru County, targeting 26,000 households.
Ruto hits out at opposition ‘distractions’
The Head of State also took aim at the opposition, accusing it of engaging in “empty political sloganeering” instead of offering development alternatives.
“I have listened to my opponents and what they have is empty noise. The political slogans like ‘Ruto must go’ and ‘one term’ are of no value,” he said.
He urged Kenyans to ignore early campaigns and focus on development, saying “Kenya was left behind by countries like Singapore because of bad politics.”
