The Government is implementing Sh10 billion worth of flagship development projects in Nyandarua County, underscoring President William Ruto’s commitment to transforming counties through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). The multi-billion-shilling investments, which include affordable housing, modern markets, education infrastructure, and institutional hostels, are designed to improve livelihoods, stimulate local economies, create employment opportunities, and ensure equitable development across the country.
The projects were highlighted by Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome during the groundbreaking ceremony and handover of the construction site for the proposed Nyandarua University at Captain Township along the Ol Kalou-Gilgil Highway. She said the university, estimated to cost Sh1.3 billion, represents a major milestone in expanding access to higher education while positioning Nyandarua as a center for academic excellence and innovation.
CS Wahome noted that the university will occupy 91 acres of land, surpassing the minimum requirement of 80 acres. Of the total land, 41 acres were donated by Salient Secondary School, while the Nyandarua County Government provided the remaining 50 acres, demonstrating strong collaboration between national and county governments as well as local institutions in advancing the county’s development agenda.
As part of the project, Salient Secondary School will receive 30 modern classrooms as compensation for the land allocated to the university. The institution itself will benefit from 20 classrooms and a modern hostel capable of accommodating 1,300 students, significantly enhancing learning infrastructure. Wahome assured residents that construction would proceed without interruption since funding for the project has already been secured under the 2026/2027 national budget.
The Cabinet Secretary emphasized that the university is one of many transformative projects being implemented under President Ruto’s BETA agenda, which seeks to ensure that development reaches every county. She added that the affordable housing programme, financed through the Affordable Housing Levy, is also delivering institutional hostels for police officers, prison officers, secondary schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, and universities, while simultaneously creating employment opportunities in the construction sector.
Wahome further noted that the Government is implementing an ambitious national infrastructure programme that includes the construction of 500 modern markets and 600,000 affordable housing units across the country. These projects are expected to stimulate local businesses, improve trading environments, increase household incomes, and strengthen economic growth while addressing the country’s housing deficit. In Nyandarua, ongoing affordable housing projects, student hostels, and modern markets are already beginning to transform communities.
Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau welcomed the establishment of the university, saying it would inspire more local students to pursue higher education closer to home, thereby reducing accommodation and transportation costs for families. Former Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria observed that Nyandarua had historically been disadvantaged in higher education, being the only county in the Mt. Kenya region without a university, making the project a historic investment in the county’s future.
Besides commissioning the university project, CS Wahome also inspected ongoing affordable housing developments in Ol Kalou Town, the construction of student hostels at Ol Kalou TVET in Rurii, and the modern market in Ndundori Town, Mirangine Sub-County. Together, these flagship projects demonstrate President William Ruto’s commitment under the BETA agenda to delivering inclusive development through strategic investments that expand access to education, improve housing, strengthen local commerce, create jobs, and uplift the socio-economic well-being of communities across Nyandarua and the rest of Kenya.
