By Reuben Olita -Busia
Stephen Orinde has praised the government for rolling out transformative development projects in Busia County, saying the initiatives are steadily positioning the border region towards achieving a “Singapore-like” urban status.
Speaking to the press in Busia, Orinde noted that within his first three months in office, he has overseen key developments that are set to elevate the county into a leading economic hub in Western Kenya.
Orinde, a former Kwale County Commissioner attributed the progress to the leadership of William Ruto, highlighting three flagship projects expected to redefine the region’s growth trajectory.
Among them is the construction of 2,000 affordable housing units at Nasewa, a project valued at KSh 5.5 billion and currently at 23 percent completion.
The development will include a modern one-stop facility featuring recreational areas, retail shops, an ECDE centre, and a comprehensive school—components that Orinde says mirror the integrated urban planning model associated with Singapore.
A similar affordable housing project is also underway in Samia Sub-County, further reinforcing the county’s urban transformation agenda.
To complement these efforts, the government has allocated funds for the construction of a 10,000-seater stadium at the Agricultural Training Centre Busia. The facility is expected to boost sports development and enhance the county’s social infrastructure.
These projects fall under the national affordable housing programme spearheaded by President Ruto, which targets the construction of 250,000 housing units annually to address urban housing shortages.
Currently, more than 262,000 units are under construction across 111 constituencies nationwide.
Part of the broader Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the initiative is also creating employment opportunities for youth—over 500,000 jobs so far—while offering low-income earners access to housing through affordable financing options.
