We have already arrived in Singapore before we could start; Ruto

President William Ruto has described Kenya’s affordable housing programme a sign that the country is already making progress towards his vision of transforming it into a modern, industrialised economy comparable to Singapore.

Speaking on Sunday night during the handover ceremony for the Sh5.37 billion Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county, Ruto said the development demonstrated the world-class living standards his administration wanted Kenyans to enjoy.

The project comprises 15 blocks, each with 14 floors served by lifts. Its amenities include a kindergarten, clubhouse, swimming pool, basketball and football courts, a gym, clinic, supermarket, green open spaces and walkways.

The development has 2,157 residential units and 104 shops, with homes ranging from bedsitters and one-bedroom apartments to two- and three-bedroom units.

The houses are categorised into social, affordable and market segments and are available through a rent-to-buy arrangement requiring an initial deposit of five per cent of the purchase price.

Addressing new homeowners and residents of Kapsaret who attended the ceremony, Ruto said the development had brought his ambition of elevating Kenya from a low-income nation to an industrialised, high-income economy closer to reality.

Ruto has repeatedly cited Singapore as a model for Kenya’s transformation, pointing to the Asian country’s shift from slum housing to high-rise public apartments as an example of what deliberate development planning can achieve.

“This is what Kenya wants, this is what Kenya deserves. I thought we were going to Singapore, but I see we have already arrived before we start,” he said.

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Ruto challenged those present to identify what distinguished the Eldoret development from the standards associated with Singapore, citing the amenities and infrastructure incorporated into the project.

“I mean, what’s the difference here?” he asked, pointing to the internet connectivity, piped cooking gas and facilities that allow residents to walk and exercise within the development.

“Isn’t this Singapore? This is it,” he added.

Beyond housing, Ruto’s Singapore vision centres on transforming Kenya from a consumption-driven economy into one that produces more of the goods it uses and exports.

His administration has promoted special economic zones, industrial parks and manufacturing hubs intended to process raw materials locally rather than rely on imports of finished products.

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