President William Ruto has announced that the Cabinet will meet on Monday, December 15, 2025, to consider and approve the architecture of the proposed National Infrastructure Fund, a move he said will mark the beginning of Kenya’s journey from a third-world to a first-world economy.
The President said the fund will be used to mobilise Sh5 trillion to finance the country’s economic transformation and drive large-scale development.
He noted that the resources will be channelled into upgrading and expanding key infrastructure, including the dualling of 2,500 kilometres of highways, the tarmacking of 28,000 kilometres of roads, expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the Mombasa and Lamu ports, and the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to the Uganda border.
President Ruto was speaking on Sunday at the Africa Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa, Karuri, in Gatundu North Diocese, Kiambu County.
He added that part of the Sh5 trillion will be invested in boosting food security through the construction of 50 mega dams, 200 mini-dams and 1,000 micro-dams, placing 2.5 million acres under irrigation, and generating an additional 10,000 megawatts of power to support value addition, agro-processing and industrialisation.
“We are late in moving this country from the third world to first-world status, and eradicating poverty and hunger,” President Ruto said.
At the same time, the President urged leaders to abandon divisive politics and focus on uniting the country, saying service to citizens should take priority over political competition.
He lamented that some politicians are preoccupied with politics at the expense of their responsibility to serve the public, noting that elections are periodic but service to the people is continuous.
“Let's work together for the sake of development. We should discourage divisive politics and focus our energies on serving the people. Time for elections will come,” he said.
President Ruto also criticised leaders who claim the government’s development agenda is unattainable, saying such critics lack a clear vision for the country.
“You cannot expect someone who has been in government for 50 years, and has no tarmac road to his home, to believe that Kenya can move from the third world to first-world economic status?” the President said.
He dismissed claims by opposition leaders that the government has done little in development, questioning whether they live in the country.
The President said the government is currently constructing 240,000 affordable housing units, 400 modern markets, and hostels providing 177,000 beds for university, TVET and Kenya Medical Training College students nationwide.
He added that the government is investing a total of Sh48 billion in these projects in Kiambu County.
