President Ruto Outlines KSh 12B Development Blueprint To Elevate Kericho To City Status

President William Ruto has announced plans to elevate Kericho town to city status, committing over KSh 12 billion in key infrastructure and urban development projects to meet the legal criteria for conferring the status.

Speaking during a two-day development tour of Kericho County on September 10 and 11, President Ruto detailed the strategic investments designed to transform the regional commercial hub into a fully functioning city:

• Affordable Housing & SEZ: A KSh 5.6 billion allocation for an initial 2,200 affordable housing units—part of a broader 5,000-unit project—alongside the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to drive industrialization and job creation.

• Healthcare Infrastructure: A KSh 1 billion medical school project to commence shortly, paired with facility upgrades for Londiani and Kericho referral hospitals.

• Sports & Local Amenities: KSh 2.1 billion dedicated to sports infrastructure, split between Kapkatet Stadium (KSh 1.1 billion) and Kericho Town Stadium (KSh 1 billion).

• Grid Connection & Transport: KSh 1.6 billion earmarked for last-mile rural electrification and primary road construction to streamline agricultural transport to local markets.

Kericho joins Thika and Meru on the list of municipalities seeking city status, following the elevation of Eldoret in 2024 alongside Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru. Under the Urban Areas and Cities Act, a municipality must demonstrate a minimum population of 250,000 residents, robust revenue-generation capacity, reliable waste and water management, and sufficient public utility infrastructure to qualify for city status.