President William Ruto on Sunday commissioned the new County Government of Nandi headquarters in Kapsabet and opened the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Kapsabet Plaza. He also announced fresh money for roads and a university in the county as his North Rift development tour nears its end ahead of Mashujaa Day.

Governor Stephen Sang, accompanied by Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assembly, received the President at the new county complex, The Star reported.

Long-stalled project completed

The headquarters brings the county's executive offices under one roof. It ends years of delays on a project that stalled before Sang's administration revived it as part of a push to complete long-standing projects the county had inherited, according to The Star.

"Commissioned the County Government of Nandi headquarters in Kapsabet, which will enhance efficiency in county operations and improve public service delivery," Ruto said on Sunday, October 18, People Daily reported.

County officials expect the building to improve coordination between departments and give residents a single point of contact for services in health, agriculture, infrastructure and other devolved functions. Kapsabet, Nandi's administrative capital, is also a key commercial centre for the region.

Church plaza to fund ministry

Separately, the President opened the ACK Kapsabet Plaza in Chesumei Constituency, a church-owned commercial building meant to give the Anglican Church a steady income.

"It will provide modern commercial and office spaces and generate sustainable income to support the ACK's ministry and community programmes," Ruto said of the plaza, according to People Daily. He later attended an ACK church service in Kapsabet.

Drugs before buildings

Addressing the congregation, Ruto urged the management boards of dispensaries and health centres to spend on medicines rather than structures. "There are those who build gates instead of buying drugs. I want to ask the management of health facilities to put more drugs in the facilities instead of building structures," he said, Citizen Digital reported.

He said operations at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) had been streamlined so more drugs would reach hospitals and health centres, and that the national government would work with counties to keep facilities stocked.

Four-lane road and a new university

The President also promised to expand the Eldoret–Kapsabet–Chavakali road. "The road is old and narrow. We've set aside KSh20B for road construction in Nandi county. We will build four lanes on the road from Eldoret to Kapsabet to Chavakali," he said, according to Citizen Digital.

On higher education, Ruto said the government had allocated nearly KSh3.5 billion for hostels, a library, lecture halls and other facilities at Koitalel Samoei University College, now a constituent college of the University of Nairobi. He said he would return in February to award it a charter as a full university, The Kenya Times reported. The college, named after the Nandi leader who resisted British colonial rule, has campuses at Mosoriot and Nandi Hills.

Mashujaa Day build-up

The Kapsabet stops are part of a tour covering Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Elgeyo-Marakwet, West Pokot and Baringo counties. Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo-Marakwet are jointly hosting this year's national Mashujaa Day celebrations on Tuesday, October 20, at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.

A day earlier, the President inspected the 729-unit Nandi Hills Affordable Housing Project. He said the national government was investing Sh18 billion in Nandi to build 4,000 housing units, student hostels with 7,000 beds and 15 modern markets, The Star reported.

The tour has mixed project launches with politics. Ruto has used several stops to answer opposition critics, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, as both sides step up campaigns ahead of the August 2027 General Election.

Photos: customer care desk at the new Nandi County headquarters on commissioning day (PCS via The Star); President William Ruto and Governor Stephen Sang at the unveiling of the headquarters plaque (William Ruto/Facebook via People Daily).