Ruto unveils plan to overhaul Nairobi’s roads and sanitation through county, private sector partnership

Amid complaints over Nairobi’s deteriorating roads and poor sanitation, President William Ruto has vowed to overhaul the city through a coordinated plan with the national, county government and private sector partners, aiming to make Nairobi a clean, safe and globally competitive capital.

Speaking on Sunday during the Africa Inland Church Ziwani 70th Anniversary, Ruto said the initiative will include streetlight installations, river cleanups and wider collaboration with local businesses to restore the city’s dignity.

He said he has held engagements with Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and county leadership to implement a joint plan for the city’s cleanup and renewal.

“Nairobi cannot continue to be a city in filth. We have started cleaning the Nairobi River, and now we are in the final stages of signing an agreement with the private sector on how we are going to clean this city,” Ruto said.

He added that the city will be equipped with streetlights to enhance safety and mobility.

“We must not have mud along our roads. This city will have streetlights so that we make sure that Nairobi is clean, becomes motorable and a city in the light, not in darkness. I have committed that the national government will provide resources,” he said.

Ruto emphasised Nairobi’s role as Kenya’s economic hub and insisted the city must reflect the status of a major development centre.

He also expressed confidence in Kenya’s long-term development, predicting the country will achieve first-world status by 2055.

“In the next 30 years, Kenya will move from being a third-world country to a first-world country. We have been a third world for far too long, and it is now time. By the effort of our hands and the unity of the people of Kenya, we want to move this nation to a first-world country by 2055,” he said.

The President noted he has consulted with key leaders, including about 80 per cent of MPs, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and KANU Chairman Gideon Moi, on strategies to achieve this vision.

He urged Kenyans to support his ambitious agenda, emphasising that national progress depends on collective effort and unity.

“We have the ideas, the plan, the people and the resources to move this country to a first-world country in our lifetime. Let us all unite, and I am persuaded beyond any reasonable doubt that we will transform this country by 2055, and that is our target,” he said.

The remarks come amid widespread complaints from Nairobi residents over poor infrastructure, sanitation challenges, and substandard county services, calling for urgent intervention.

In addition, President Ruto highlighted progress in healthcare, revealing that the number of Kenyans covered under health insurance has surged from 7 million to over 26 million.

“Healthcare services are continuing to improve. We had 7 million Kenyans covered under health insurance, and now we have reached 26.7 million,” he said.

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• private sector partnership

He credited the progress to faith, planning and government reforms.

“By the grace of God, the plans we have had for many years, construction, housing, hostels, we can now see that God has opened the way for us; these plans are now visible,” Ruto added.

The President linked the success to collective effort and divine guidance, saying that Kenya’s progress in healthcare, infrastructure and development demonstrates that God has opened doors for the nation.

He also dismissed critics who doubted the feasibility of his development agenda, noting that initiatives such as housing, universal healthcare, teacher employment and enhanced food production, once deemed impossible, are now being implemented.

“By God’s grace, we have been in the third world for far too long. We have had our fair share, and it is now time, by God’s grace, the efforts of our hands, the blessings of our plans, and the energy and unity of the people of Kenya, to move this country from a third world to a first world country in the next 30 years,” Ruto said.

He urged all Kenyans to remain optimistic and united, stressing that strategic planning, collective effort and faith will be key in driving the nation’s journey toward prosperity.

“I am persuaded beyond any reasonable doubt that we are going to move this country to a first world by 2055,” he said.