A region long abandoned to banditry and cattle raids is now receiving roads, electricity and markets. The timing, ten months before an election, is not coincidental
By James Mwangi
President William Ruto has launched a multi-billion-shilling infrastructure drive in the Kerio Valley, pledging to transform one of Kenya’s most conflict-scarred regions through roads, irrigation, modern markets and electricity connectivity — in a campaign that is simultaneously a development agenda and a 2027 electoral calculation.
Speaking at an interdenominational thanksgiving service at Chesombur grounds in Sigor, West Pokot County, Ruto declared the valley open for business after years of deadly banditry and cattle rustling had kept investors and government spending away. “I am happy that in the Kerio Valley today, we are listening to testimonies of peace,” he said, crediting security forces, religious leaders and community members for the turnaround.
The numbers behind the announcements are substantial. Baringo County is receiving KSh22B to construct 350 kilometres of roads — the first major road investment in the county’s history at this scale — alongside a KSh1B last-mile electricity project connecting 3,329 homes. In Elgeyo-Marakwet, the government has committed KSh15B under the Affordable Housing Programme, covering 3,000 housing units, nine modern markets and student hostels. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who accompanied the president, said peace had now been restored across the valley and the investment environment was ready.
The regional governors — Simon Kachapin of West Pokot, Jeremiah Lomorukai of Turkana, Wisely Rotich of Elgeyo-Marakwet and Stephen Sang of Nandi — rallied behind the peace narrative. “Now that we have peace in the Kerio Valley, we should jealously guard it for the sake of the prosperity of the region,” Sang said.
The political subtext is difficult to separate from the development story. The Kerio Valley straddles counties in the Rift Valley that delivered significant votes for Ruto in 2022. With Mt Kenya drifting toward Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party, the Rift must hold if Ruto is to secure a second term. Roads, markets and electricity in a region that has known mostly neglect and gunfire are powerful campaign tools — visible, tangible and photographable.
The Kerio Valley has waited decades for this level of attention. Whether the attention survives the election or evaporates with the ballot papers is the question that residents, who have heard promises before, are quietly asking.
Some of the moments as captured in pictures
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