President William Ruto has announced plans to upgrade Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital and Garissa County Referral Hospital to Level 6 national referral facilities under the national government.
Ruto said the government had already invested Sh1 billion to complete the stalled construction of the Kakamega facility, adding that its funding would now be taken over by the national government.
“The funds from the county government that were going to the hospital will now go to other facilities,” he said.
Speaking during a Sunday mass at St Mark’s Catholic Church in Marunda, Likuyani Constituency, Kakamega County, the President said the two facilities would expand access to quality healthcare.
He added that the government had spent Sh300 million equipping hospitals in Kakamega County, with a further one billion shillings earmarked for equipping more facilities.
Ruto also said 1.15 million Kakamega residents had registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA), while the county had received 4.8 billion shillings in government disbursements over the past 18 months.
“We send money every month from SHA to this small hospital here called Magusi. When they treat 50 people, we send them funds for 50 people,” he said.
On infrastructure, the President announced that the government was investing Sh17 billion in road projects across Kakamega County.
He said construction of the Mawe Tatu-Fafaro road was already underway and would be accelerated, while work on the Matunda-Brigadier road was expected to begin soon.
Other planned projects include the Turbo-Nzoia River-Sikhendu road, the Moi’s Bridge-Matunda road through the County Aggregation and Industrial Park, and the expansion of the Maili Tisa-Kitale road.
Ruto further announced that construction of the Mau Summit-Malaba highway would begin next year, with sections designed as a four- and six-lane road to ease congestion and support economic activity.
The President also said reforms in the sugar sector had enabled factories such as Nzoia Sugar to pay farmers on time. He announced that farmers would receive Sh1.2 billion in bonuses in November.
In education, Ruto pledged Sh100 million towards the construction of a university in Likuyani Constituency.
He also defended the government’s affordable housing programme, saying it would help protect agricultural land from fragmentation.
“We want to preserve enough land for growing food and cash crops, and keeping livestock,” he said.
The President said his administration was committed to distributing national resources across the country, dismissing what he described as politics driven by tribalism, discrimination and hatred.
“There are people who are angry at me because I have national resources must go to every part of the country. We are all equal before our Constitution,” he said.
He added that the 2027 General Election should be an opportunity for Kenyans to reject tribal divisions and discrimination.