President William Ruto during inspection of construction progress of 408-unit Garissa Affordable Housing Project, February 6, 2025. /PCSPresident William Ruto was Thursday on the third day of his working tour of the Northeastern region, where he oversaw several development initiatives in Garissa county.
Among them was the official reopening of the Garissa Passport Application Centre, which had remained closed for a decade since 2014 following a wave of terror attacks in the region and parts of the country.
The centre becomes the 10th decentralised passport application centre in Kenya, serving Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Tana River, and Kitui counties.
“We have put in place mechanisms that will ensure the people of Garissa and neighbouring counties don’t travel all the way to Nairobi to have their passports processed,” Ruto said.
The President also issued 3,000 title deeds in Garissa Township, doubling the number issued since independence.
Ruto also laid the foundation stone for a 408-unit affordable housing project in the township.
“Millions of Kenyans live in informal settlements and in unacceptable conditions. This is untenable. That is why we are determined to make our Affordable Housing Programme a success in providing decent shelter,” he said.
Additionally, Ruto officially launched the construction of the Tana River Bridge and approach roads along the Ukasi-Garissa-Modika road.
President William Ruto during the launch of the construction of the Tana River Bridge on February 6, 2025. /PCSThe President said the Sh1.7 billion road project will end the suffering the people of Garissa and Tana River counties have gone through whenever the old bridge got flooded and cut them from the rest of the country.
Ruto further flagged off the livestock restocking programme at Soko Ng'ombe for drought-affected households.
A total of 53,000 animals will be distributed to over 10,000 households in 16 ASAL counties under the initiative.
The counties are home to pastoralist communities that heavily depend on livestock rearing to sustain their livelihoods all year round.
The restocking programme primarily aims to help the communities recover from devastating livestock losses caused by drought, a frequent occurrence in arid and semi-arid regions.
Besides the above activities, Ruto also flagged off animal vaccination Programme at Soko Ng'ombe.
President William Ruto when he flagged off animal vaccination Programme at Soko Ng'ombe, Garissa county, February 6, 2025. /PCSThe programme is in alignment with the nationwide animal vaccination campaign targeting 22 million livestock to combat transboundary diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease.
The exercise, spanning all counties, aims to protect the dairy sector and ensure its sustainability.
“We will adequately fund the Kenya Animal Genetic Resources Centre to carry out research in breed improvement and disease prevention of our livestock," Ruto said.
The President also inspected the modernisation of Garissa Airstrip to international standards, including the construction of a new runway and the building of a new terminal.
He said the upgraded airstrip will facilitate trade and unlock the region’s huge economic potential.
Ruto also visited Garissa High School where he inspected the steam cooking carbon asset project being piloted by the government at the school as part of a broader global effort to reduce the use of firewood in school cooking in favour of cleaner alternatives.
“The programme will soon be rolled out in schools across the country,” the President said.
Ruto also toured the modern Garissa Level V Teaching and Referral Hospital the county is currently putting in and inspected the Mother and Child Unit at the facility.
He reaffirmed that the government remains focused on delivering quality and affordable healthcare to Kenyans of all walks of life.
