President William Ruto has announced a KSh15 billion investment in affordable housing, modern markets and student hostels as part of his administration’s development programme in Narok County.
Speaking during his visit to the county, Ruto said the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) was designed to improve the livelihoods of ordinary Kenyans through targeted investments and economic opportunities.
“The Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda was never just a campaign slogan. It was a commitment to uplift the lives of Kenyans through deliberate and strategic investments,” the President said.
Ruto said the government is constructing 17 modern markets across Narok County to provide traders with better and more dignified working environments.
The President handed over the Ololung'a Modern Market in Narok South Constituency, which is expected to provide improved facilities for small-scale traders, including mama mboga and other informal-sector businesses.
The markets form part of the government's wider effort to support small businesses and improve trading conditions while contributing to local economic activity.
Ruto also linked the projects to his administration’s broader affordable housing and education infrastructure programmes, saying KSh15 billion would be invested across the county in housing, markets and hostels for university and college students.
During the visit, the President also launched the construction of the 20-kilometre Ololung'a-Ewaso Ng'iro road.
The road project is part of a larger KSh6 billion government investment aimed at constructing approximately 300 kilometres of roads across Narok County.
Ruto said improved road infrastructure would help open up the county, ease transportation and support economic activities by connecting communities and markets.
The projects come as the government seeks to implement BETA through investments targeting small businesses, infrastructure, housing and other areas intended to stimulate economic activity from the grassroots.
The President has repeatedly said his administration's development approach is focused on directing public investments towards sectors that can create opportunities for lower-income households and small-scale entrepreneurs.
In Narok, the government is now banking on the combination of improved markets, roads, housing and student accommodation to support urban development and strengthen economic activity across the county.