Ruto pledges increased water supply for Nairobi as Northern Collector Tunnel nears completion

He said the 11.8km tunnel will bring 140,00 cubic meters of additional water to the capital city daily, a much-welcome reprieve to water-starved Nairobi estates.

"To those living in Kibra, Lang'ata and other places in  Nairobi, we are working with the Nairobi County Government to sort out the water issue," he said on Sunday. 

He spoke at the African Divine Church at Nairobi Primary School to mark 73 years since its establishment. The service, attended by thousands of worshippers, was led by Archbishop John Lilege Saiya Chabuga.

The President reiterated his commitment to make Nairobi more liveable through several initiatives, such as the cleaning up of the Nairobi River. 

Pointing out that Nairobi hosts the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), he said it is untenable for city residents to continue living in undesirable conditions. 

"We cannot continue to live in a dirty city yet it is the headquarters of environment matters in the world," he said.

President Ruto pointed out that 10,000 young people have been employed under ClimateWorX Mtaani project to help clean and green the Nairobi River Basin.

The project will later be expanded to Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret and Nakuru cities. Later, it will be expanded to include all the 47 counties.

The President said he is focused on changing Kenya as he promised during the 2022 election campaigns through transformative policies and programmes.

On the Affordable Housing Programme, he said he will be commissioning the first 1,000 units in Nairobi next month, and whose tenants will be paying KSh3,000 a month to own the houses.

On healthcare, he said the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) will bring parity in access to medical care irrespective of financial ability.

Further, SHIF fully covers the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension.

"For those who are not able to pay, the government of Kenya will pay for them," he said.

Similarly, President Ruto said the new funding model for universities and technical colleges will ensure that all Kenyans who qualify have access to higher education.

"We want to make sure that every child in Kenya, irrespective of their background, gets a chance in education," the President said.

In the other levels of education, he said the government has already employed 56,000 teachers and will employ an additional 20,000 in January.

President Ruto assured religious institutions that the government would not muzzle the Church in any way as the freedom to worship is constituonally guaranteed.

"We are going to work with the Church and other partners in all areas of our national development," he said.

On the rising cases of women killings, he said the government will deploy the necessary resources to the police to deal with the matter.

Saying the issue is both criminal and moral, President Ruto called on Kenyans to play their role in ensuring the safety of women and girls.

"Let us not finger point at who should have done what. We should begin by asking: What can I do as a citizen to stop this menace?"

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the resistance to some of the government's transformative programmes is being led by corruption cartels who have benefited from the old systems for long.

Among those present were Governors Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi), Susan Kihika (Nakuru), MPs, MCAs and other leaders.