Ruto vows to transform Kibera into an estate in 10 years

President William Ruto. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

President William Ruto has pledged to eradicate slums in Nairobi and other parts of the country within the next decade.

Speaking on Sunday, October 1, at Deliverance Church International in Lang'ata, Nairobi Ruto said his administration will build affordable houses for low-income earners, especially in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa.

"This Kibera that is here and the other slums in Nairobi, in ten years there will be no slum in that area. We will have changed it to be an estate. And God will help us to make it possible," said Ruto.

He said the housing project will create jobs for the youth and improve the living standards of millions of Kenyans who currently reside in informal settlements.

"It will help youths get jobs, Kenyans will get houses and live in respectable places where there is water, electricity and roads. As for now we have about six million Kenyans living in slums and we must be concerned about them," he said.

Ruto also announced that his government will construct 20 new markets in Nairobi, in partnership with the county government, to boost trade and commerce in the city. He said the first phase of the project, which will involve 10 markets, will commence in two months.

The President said he was committed to fulfilling his promise of delivering at least 250,000 houses every year for the next five years, as part of his vision of making Kenya a middle-income country by 2030.