Nandi Road Plan: Ruto Announces KSh 20B Programme Covering 350 Kilometres of Rural LinksNandi Road Plan: Ruto Announces KSh 20B Programme Covering 350 Kilometres of Rural Links
Key Highlights
- The government has announced a KSh 20B ($154.07M) programme to build and upgrade 350 kilometres of roads in Nandi County, with construction launched on one 17-kilometre link.
- The Labuiywo-Kapkoros-Koisagat road costs KSh 1.3B ($10.01M) and is meant to connect Nandi Hills with Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties.
- No contractor, funding source, completion date or cost breakdown for the wider 350 kilometres was named, so delivery timelines for farmers and traders remain unconfirmed.
President William Ruto has announced a KSh 20B ($154.07M) road programme covering 350 kilometres in Nandi County, launching construction on a new KSh 1.3B ($10.01M) link during a county tour.
The programme matters because roads decide what it costs farmers and traders in the highlands to reach markets, and the announcement comes days after a similar road pledge for neighbouring Trans Nzoia. President William Ruto inspected works on two 24-kilometre roads, Maraba-Kebeneti and Timboroa-Kopere, in Tinderet Constituency, and started work on the 17-kilometre Labuiywo-Kapkoros-Koisagat road.
What was announced
The new road is meant to connect Nandi Hills with Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties. It carries the only individual price tag given: KSh 1.3B, or about KSh 76.47M ($0.59M) a kilometre on Mwenendo's calculation.
The wider programme works out at about KSh 57.14M ($0.44M) a kilometre across 350 kilometres, though the announcement did not say how the KSh 20B is split between new construction, upgrades and maintenance. The president also visited the Maraba Modern Market in Tinderet and laid a foundation stone for a new inpatient block at Meteitei Sub-County Hospital.
Mr Ruto said he had come to address roads, hospitals, markets and electricity, and that the administration was putting development ahead of politics.
What is still unclear
Several details that decide whether the money reaches the ground were not stated: the contractors, the funding source, completion dates, and the cost of the two 24-kilometre roads under inspection. Without them, the KSh 20B figure is a headline commitment rather than a costed schedule.
Mwenendo earlier reported on how the Trans Nzoia power drive paired KSh 18B ($138.67M) for 270 kilometres of roads with electricity connections, and also left contractors and dates unnamed. The pattern raises the question of how quickly announced works become finished roads.
As Mwenendo earlier reported, county development projects stalled after counties left KSh 100.2B ($771.89M) unspent in the year to June 2026, a reminder that money pledged and money spent are different things.
Why it matters for Nandi
Rural roads shape transport costs and produce prices for the farmers and traders who use them. A road linking four counties could widen their market if it is finished on time, but residents and traders will have to wait for a published timetable to plan around it.
In Summary
- Who announced the programme?
- President William Ruto, during a tour of Nandi County.
- What was announced?
- A KSh 20B ($154.07M) programme covering 350 kilometres of roads, with construction launched on a 17-kilometre, KSh 1.3B ($10.01M) road.
- Where will the roads be built?
- Nandi County, including Tinderet Constituency, with the new link connecting Nandi Hills to Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot.
- When was it announced?
- During the president's county visit reported on 13 October 2026.
- How is it being delivered?
- The president inspected the Maraba-Kebeneti and Timboroa-Kopere roads and launched the Labuiywo-Kapkoros-Koisagat road; contractors and funding sources were not named.
- Why does it matter?
- Rural roads shape transport costs and market access for farmers and traders, but no completion dates were given.