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Inside Ruto’s plan to make Maralal a small city
09th November, 2025 02:35 PM
President William Ruto has revealed plans to make Maralal a small city in the coming days, a move aimed at hastening service delivery in the larger Northern Kenya.
Speaking on Sunday, November 9, 2025, during a church service at All Saints Pro-Cathedral in Samburu County, the Head of State announced plans to enhance the status of Maralal town, starting with key infrastructure projects such as roads.
Also Watch: Maralal floods as residents site poor drainage system.
“Pia Samburu town hii yenu pia nimetafuta milioni mia tano za kutengeneza lami hapa kwa town.Hiyo ikae kama city ndogo hapa Maralal. We are planning so that we can improve the infrastructure around the city,” he said.
Ruto also announced that by 2026, the water supply will be active to serve the residents, hence solving the menace of water shortages in Samburu.
“Mimi vilevile nimekujia mambo yenu ya maji. Tulijenga dam kubwa huko Yamo, sasa tumetafuta mifereji na kwa mapenzi ya mungu nataka mwaka ujao maji iwe imesambazwa hapa town yen undo ikae tena mali mzuri kama city,” he stated.
Elevation spree
Maralal is a small hillside market town in the northern part of the country, lying east of the Loroghi Plateau, and is the administrative headquarters of Samburu County.
This is not the first time Ruto’s administration has pushed for cities in strategic locations in parts of the country. On August 15, 2024, he led the conferment of the Eldoret municipality to a city status.
Eldoret is now the fifth Kenyan city after Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nakuru.
The ceremony took place after an assessment that Eldoret met the criteria for classification as a city under the Urban Areas and Cities Act, 2011, and approval by the County Assembly of Uasin Gishu and the Senate.
In the case of Maralal, should the move materialise, it will lead to more socio-economic opportunities to invest, live, and inhabit.
It will also help in attracting new investors, improving infrastructure, and accelerating economic growth.
Ruto noted that Maralal has grown from a settlement to a vibrant town, establishing itself as a key investment hub in Northern Kenya.
“The infrastructure of a city will attract more and quality investments, presenting an opportunity to harness its full potential,” the president said.
