President William Ruto wrapped up a five-day development tour of Kenya’s Coast region on Monday with promises of improved electricity, housing and land reforms aimed at reshaping the area’s economy.
In Kilifi County, the President commissioned a KSh3 billion electricity sub-station in Mariakani, describing it as a major step towards ending years of unreliable and costly power supply at the Coast.
Standing before residents and local leaders in Kaloleni Constituency, Ruto said the project would strengthen electricity transmission from Ethiopia and Naivasha to the Coast region, helping industries grow and creating jobs for young people.
“The biggest problem in this region has been low electricity voltage generated through expensive thermal energy,” the President said.
He added that the new infrastructure would support industrial zones such as the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone in Mombasa, which the government hopes will attract investment and manufacturing.
Later in Mombasa County, Ruto laid the foundation stone for a modern market and an affordable housing project in Makupa valued at KSh600 million.
The developments formed part of a broader tour that took the President across Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, Kwale and Tana River counties, where he inspected and launched several state-backed projects.
At Mariakani, the President also directed the Kenya Defence Forces to work with the Kilifi County Government on water distribution projects to address persistent shortages affecting residents.
Ruto further announced plans to allocate 10 acres of land belonging to the Kenya Agricultural Research Organisation for the construction of a truck parking yard and 1,000 affordable housing units.
“Kilifi and the wider Coast region will not be left behind in our development plans,” he said. “We will develop this region the same way we are developing the rest of the country.”
Land ownership, a long-standing political and economic issue at the Coast, also featured prominently in the President’s remarks.
Ruto said the government had set aside KSh5 billion to compensate absentee landlords as part of efforts to issue title deeds to squatters who have occupied land in the region for years without ownership documents.
According to the President, more than 381,000 title deeds have already been issued at the Coast, with another 200,000 expected within the next three months.
He also assured residents that the long-delayed Mwache Dam project would soon be completed to help ease water shortages in the region.
The tour ended against a backdrop of growing political debate over the government’s economic record and development agenda. Ruto urged residents to support what he called the “Broad-Based Government,” while criticising opponents for lacking practical solutions to the country’s challenges.
Among those present during the final day of the tour were Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho, Salim Mvurya and Opiyo Wandayi, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, and governors Abdulswamad Nassir and Gideon Mung’aro.
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