KERICHO, Kenya — President William Ruto has added Kericho town to the list of urban centres being lined up for city status, announcing more than Ksh12 billion in development projects that he said must be completed first.
Speaking during his tour of Kericho County on Thursday and Friday, 10 and 11 September, Ruto laid out a package of investments spanning housing, healthcare, water, electricity and road infrastructure, which he described as the groundwork needed to prepare the town for elevation.
Housing and economic zone plans
Ruto said Ksh5.6 billion was being channelled into the first phase of an affordable housing programme in the area, covering 2,200 units out of a planned 5,000.
“To transform Kericho town into a city, Ksh5.6 billion is being invested in the first 2,200 affordable housing units of a total of 5,000,” he said.
The President also announced that a Special Economic Zone would be established in Kericho, which he said was intended to draw investors and open up new digital and economic opportunities for the county.
Healthcare and sports facilities
On healthcare, Ruto said a Ksh1 billion medical school would be built in the area, with construction due to begin shortly. He linked the project to wider upgrades planned for Londiani and Kericho referral hospitals, though he did not give a detailed cost breakdown for those works.
The government has also earmarked Ksh1.1 billion for a stadium in Kapkatet and a further Ksh1 billion for a stadium in Kericho town, part of a broader push to expand sports infrastructure in the county.
A separate Ksh1.6 billion has been set aside to extend electricity connections to homes across Kericho, alongside road projects intended to ease the movement of agricultural produce, particularly tea, to markets.
Joining Thika and Meru in the city pipeline
Kericho’s inclusion adds it to a growing list of towns pursuing city status alongside Thika and Meru.
Thika’s bid is furthest along, having secured Senate committee backing for its elevation, while Ruto pledged in October 2025 to make Meru Kenya’s next city, backing that promise with billions of shillings in road, market and hospital projects in the county.
Also Read: Ruto defends economic record during Kericho tour, challenges rivals on alternatives
Kenya currently has five cities — Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. Eldoret was the most recent to be elevated, receiving its city charter from Ruto in August 2024 after Senate approval.
What city status requires
Under Kenya’s Urban Areas and Cities Act, a town must meet several benchmarks before it can be considered for city status. It must have a population of at least 250,000 and demonstrate the financial capacity to generate enough revenue to sustain its own operations.
The town must also show it can deliver essential services, including water, sanitation and emergency response, and must have adequate infrastructure such as functioning waste disposal systems, paved roads and street lighting.
Elevation ultimately requires county assembly and Senate approval before the President can formally confer city status.
Whether Kericho meets these thresholds, and how quickly, will likely depend on the pace at which the newly announced projects are delivered.
