President William Ruto used the Jamhuri Day stage on Friday to defend his Bottom-Up agenda, saying the country has moved from only talking about job shortages to actively creating work through housing projects, youth programmes and digital jobs. Addressing a packed Nyayo Stadium, he said the reforms underway are opening doors that had remained shut for many years.
He pointed to major construction efforts across the country as proof that long-promised plans are finally taking shape. “For decades, housing, while being a constitutional right, was promised but never delivered,” he said.
“Housing is not just about shelter. It is collateral, it is credit worthiness, it is stability, and it is the first step out of poverty.”
The President said the housing push has reached a level never seen before.
“In just three years, over 240,000 affordable homes, hostels for 180,000 students, 30,000 institutional housing for our military, police and prison officers, and over 400 new markets for our traders are under construction across all our 47 counties,” he said. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the largest public infrastructure transformation ever undertaken, not just in Kenya, but also in our region.”
He said the construction wave has brought in Sh650 billion in investment, driving new growth and creating opportunities for thousands of people. According to the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, close to 200,000 homes are under construction across all 47 counties, with another 124,000 units advanced through various stages of building.
By April 2025, around 140,000 homes had been completed. Of these, about 5,000 were handed over through the Boma Yangu platform, which continues to draw huge interest. The digital system had registered more than 800,000 Kenyans by mid-2025, showing the strong demand for affordable homes among different income levels.
Job creation has also expanded. In 2022, fewer than 20,000 people worked on housing projects, but by 2025 the number had grown sharply, with artisans, technicians and tradespeople among the biggest beneficiaries. “More than 480,000 Kenyans have secured jobs and enterprise opportunities across 300 active sites, from artisans to technicians to engineers and architects shaping a new skyline in Kenya,” the President noted.
He also stressed that the programme is designed to support local skills and small enterprises. “We have ring-fenced billions of shillings for the Jua Kali sector, fully integrating their once neglected engine of craftsmanship into the national construction value chain,” he said, adding that local artisans are now supplying “doors, windows, fittings, furniture and fabricated material” to sites across the country.
Shifting to the digital space, the President highlighted gains in youth skills training and online work. “We have trained 2 million Kenyans in digital skills, and nearly 300,000 are already earning income through the Kazi Mtaani programme,” he announced.
He also welcomed the steady growth in overseas employment. “Nearly 500,000 Kenyans have secured well-paying job opportunities abroad in the last three years,” he said, describing this as a key part of widening Kenya’s presence in global labour markets.
Ruto further spoke about new support for young entrepreneurs through a new financing initiative. He said the Sh20billion Nyota programme aims to reach 820,000 young people with capital, mentorship, training and certification. “The first phase is complete with 12,500 beneficiaries already receiving their first business support, and the national programme is now being rolled out across the country,” he said.
According to him, all these actions fit into one mission. “These actions reflect one clear national purpose, to open doors of opportunity for our youth, equip them to succeed and empower Kenya's greatest strength, our young people, to lead us towards prosperity and economic sovereignty.”
He said the ongoing work goes beyond economic gain and touches on the broader promise of the Constitution. “As more students live in decent accommodation, as more traders conduct their business in dignified settings, and as more public servants get access to housing, we are fulfilling our constitutional mandate,” he said.
Ruto closed his address by saying the Bottom-Up plan has created a new path for the country. “Through the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Plan, we have consolidated the gains of political independence and the democratic freedoms won through deliberate social engineering,” he said. “We have built systems that ensure no Kenyan is left behind, and having ensured that we are carrying everybody along, we now have both the opportunity and the firm foundation we need.”
