President William Ruto has announced plans for the construction of a KSh4 billion smart city in Malaba, Busia County, as part of a broader government investment programme targeting housing, infrastructure and economic development in the border town.
The proposed smart city will include 2,000 affordable housing units alongside other amenities and is expected to create jobs, expand business opportunities for residents and attract new investment to Malaba.
“We will build a smart city in Malaba so that it starts looking better and stops looking like a shopping centre,” President Ruto said.
Speaking to a delegation of grassroots leaders from the Iteso community at the Eldoret State Lodge in Uasin Gishu County on Saturday, the President said the government had allocated KSh18 billion to Busia County for projects including affordable housing, modern markets and hostels for university and college students.
Ruto said the government’s Affordable Housing Programme has already created employment opportunities for about 1.1 million people across the country, benefiting professionals and skilled workers including architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians and masons.
The President also defended the 1.5% housing levy contributed by employees and employers to finance the Affordable Housing Programme, arguing that public servants had not suffered financial losses because they had benefited from salary increases of about 10% in recent years.
On healthcare, Ruto commended Busia leaders for encouraging residents to register with the Social Health Authority (SHA). He said about 449,000 people, equivalent to half of the county’s population, had so far registered with the health scheme.
During the meeting, His Royal Highness Papa Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot Etomeileng III, King of the Teso Community in Kenya and Uganda, installed President Ruto as an elder and bestowed on him the Teso name “Ojokotau,” meaning “someone with a big heart.”
The President also used the meeting to call for unity and issue-based politics ahead of the 2027 General Election, maintaining that Kenya had moved beyond tribal politics.
Ruto said the 2022 General Election marked a shift away from tribal-based political alignments, while the formation of the Broad-Based Government in 2024, he argued, further reduced what he described as politics of discrimination.
“During the 2022 General Election, Kenyans ended tribal politics and in 2024, the formation of the Broad-Based Government eliminated the politics of discrimination,” he said.
The President said voters should assess political leaders based on their development record and ability to deliver services rather than tribal affiliations or political slogans.
He accused some of his political opponents of attempting to revive tribal and divisive politics ahead of next year’s election and challenged them to present clear policy alternatives to Kenyans.
Ruto particularly criticised the “Ruto must go” slogan used by some of his opponents, arguing that political competitors should explain to voters what they would do differently if elected.
“Next year’s General Election will be decisive and consequential. We will bring to an end the stale politics of division, fragmentation and marginalization, and usher in the politics of unity, inclusion and transformation, one that leaves no community and no part of Kenya behind,” President Ruto said.
He also accused unnamed political opponents of operating under the influence of a political sponsor, describing them as “puppets” allegedly working to frustrate his administration’s development agenda.
“After their sponsor failed to do the work I am doing, he has paid them to oppose all the projects my administration is undertaking,” he said.
The Iteso leaders, meanwhile, pledged their support for Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya, who presented a memorandum on behalf of the delegation, said the community had chosen to work with the President in advancing the country’s development agenda.
“We have chosen unity; we have chosen partnership; we have chosen to participate in building Kenya with Your Excellency,” Kaunya said.
Teso South MP Mary Emase also expressed support for the President, citing development projects undertaken by his administration.
The leaders further welcomed the government’s identification of the Butula-Nambale-Amukura-Kocholia road for upgrading, saying they were looking forward to the launch of its construction.
“I want to assure you that all leaders in Teso have resolved to put aside their differences and support your re-election next year,” Kaunya said.
