President William Ruto has announced a multi-billion shilling investment plan targeting the Coast region, with the government focusing on the blue economy, housing, electricity, education and land ownership as part of efforts to improve livelihoods and spur economic growth.
Speaking during a thanksgiving service for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs in Ganze Constituency, Kilifi County, the President said the government had committed more than Ksh.10 billion towards fisheries and blue economy projects aimed at supporting coastal communities that depend on fishing.
Among the projects outlined are five fish landing sites along the coast valued at Ksh.840 million, three fish markets worth Ksh.350 million, distribution of 272 modern fishing boats and the construction of the Ksh.2 billion Shimoni Fish Port and a Ksh.1.5 billion hatchery project in Kwale County.
“We are doing all these because that is the only way to transform our country,” President Ruto said.
The Head of State also revealed that the government is spending more than Ksh.25 billion on development projects in Kilifi County under the Affordable Housing Programme.
According to the President, Ksh.18 billion has been allocated for affordable housing projects across the county, while another Ksh.1.2 billion will go towards the construction of 10 modern markets.
He added that more than Ksh.2 billion had also been set aside for the construction of student hostels in universities, technical institutions and Kenya Medical Training College campuses.
“In yester years, such kind of investment was only dreamt of. But we are making it a reality now,” he said.
President Ruto praised PS Fikirini Jacobs for his performance in government, saying young leaders had demonstrated their ability to deliver when given opportunities.
“I am very proud of the record of this young man as a Principal Secretary and a servant of the Government and people of Kenya,” he said.
The President noted that Jacobs had played a major role in implementing the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, which supports young people with funds to start or grow businesses.
On electricity access, the President said Ksh.2.2 billion was being invested to connect 20,000 households in Kilifi County to power.
He added that ongoing transmission line projects, including the Malindi-Weru-Kilifi and Rabai-Bomani-Kilifi lines, would improve electricity stability in the region and support economic activities.
President Ruto also urged parents and local leaders to ensure all children attend school, describing education as the key to equal opportunities in society.
“I call on parents, chiefs and village elders to make sure that, for whatever reason, no child remains at home when schools are in session,” he said.
According to the President, the government has employed 100,000 teachers nationwide within three years to address teacher shortages, including 2,860 teachers recruited in Kilifi County during the same period.
On healthcare, the President said hospitals in Kilifi County had received Ksh.1.4 billion through the Social Health Authority over the last one-and-a-half years to improve services and equip health facilities.
The President also revisited the long-standing land ownership problem at the Coast, saying the government was working to resolve cases of absentee landlords and landlessness in the region.
He disclosed that out of the 1.5 million title deeds issued nationally in the past three years, 381,000 had been distributed at the Coast, with another 200,000 expected to be issued within the next 90 days after completion of ongoing land adjudication.
“Citizens must live with certainty; they must plan with certainty knowing that this is their land. If they continue being squatters, they cannot invest,” he said.
In addition, President Ruto announced that the government had secured Ksh.315 million to fence a 140-kilometre section of Tsavo National Park bordering villages in Ganze to reduce cases of human-wildlife conflict.
He also directed the immediate deregistration of the Shirango Conservancy, saying the land had been registered illegally without the consent of local residents and should be returned to the community
