Residents of Laikipia County can now farm, attend school and sleep without fear of attacks after years of banditry and insecurity, with the government shifting its focus to accelerating development, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said.
Kindiki said the government had increased investment in security and infrastructure in the region, which had previously experienced prolonged instability that disrupted livelihoods and slowed development.
Speaking on Monday during an inspection of development projects in Laikipia West, he said the restoration of peace had created an opportunity to improve roads, education, electricity access and markets.
“We celebrate the peace here in Ol Moran. When we took over, this place was inhabitable because of banditry and criminal activities but we thank the President for the unwavering commitment to restore peace here. This place is now enjoying peace and stability,” he said.
Kindiki, who served as Interior Cabinet Secretary between 2022 and 2024, said he was proud of the progress made under President William Ruto’s administration.
He inspected construction of the Sipili-Ol Moran Road and commissioned the Ol Moran Police Station and Division Headquarters, promising to ensure ongoing projects are completed on schedule.
The government has allocated Sh28 billion to road projects covering 577km across the county, with Kindiki saying the investment would be increased to Sh60 billion to support the construction of 1,000km of new roads.
“We have prioritized construction of the roads at 28 billion shillings but we will raise it to 60 billion because we target 1000kms of new roads because this area was left behind for long because of insecurity,” he said.
The deputy president also urged contractors working on the Rumuruti-Nanyuki and Nanyuki-Doldol-Naibor roads to improve their pace of work.
In education, he said 20 schools had been constructed, including 10 built through the Kenya Defence Forces and another 10 completed after President Ruto directed their construction. A further 10 schools are planned.
Laikipia has also received Sh470 million for last-mile electricity connections, an allocation Kindiki said would rise to Sh1 billion to connect an additional 10,000 homes.
Meanwhile, 15 modern markets are nearing completion across the county, six of them in Laikipia West.
Kindiki pledged to make frequent visits to monitor progress and urged residents to reject political incitement.
“Don’t let politicians incite you to fight each other because of political choices. We must always maintain peace because we will live together once elections are over,” he said.