Residents of Nairobi City will soon enjoy increased supply of clean drinking water as the Northern Collector Tunnel in Murang'a is near completion, President William Ruto has announced.
He said the 11.8km tunnel will bring 140,00 cubic meters of additional water to the capital city daily, a much-welcomed 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 making 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 environmental 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 Sh3,000 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.
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.
