By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
Kenya, 12 October 2026 – President William Ruto on Monday toured the newly opened Maraba Market in Tinderet, Nandi County, where he expressed satisfaction with the way traders have been organised.
He singled out a small Huduma Centre that has been established within the market, enabling traders to access government services conveniently while going about their business.
Huduma Centres are one-stop shops where citizens can obtain a range of government services in a single location, sparing them lengthy trips to distant offices.
At the opening ceremony, the President thanked Nandi Governor Stephen Sang before being taken on a guided tour of the facility, during which he met traders and saw for himself how the market operates.
Women traders said they were now comfortable at work, because the market shields them from the scorching sun and the downpours that they previously had to endure in the open. Indeed, the market is properly organised.
One woman, a grocer, said she used to sell watermelons by the roadside, but now trades from the market.
“We are very delighted, Mr President,” she said.
Her sentiments echoed those of the other women traders, who said the facility had improved their working conditions.
The Head of State asked her where she sourced her stock.
“As you can see, I sell watermelons, and they come from Kilifi County,” she replied.
She explained that a supplier sources the fruit from Kilifi and delivers it as far as Kapsabet Town.
“We collect it from Kapsabet town and bring it here to sell to our customers at this new market,” she said.
The exchange offered a glimpse of the supply chain that keeps the market stocked, linking suppliers at the coast to consumers in Nandi.
The market also houses a modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub, where tech enthusiasts and young people carry out their work through the Jitume Programme. The programme provides young Kenyans with digital workspaces and internet access, enabling them to take up online jobs and freelance assignments.
Later in the visit, the President was treated to a cup of tea in the section of the market where traders and customers can buy meals at affordable prices.
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The visit highlighted the cooperation between the national government and the counties in their effort to bring order, dignity and essential services to small-scale traders, many of whom previously worked in the open, exposed to the elements, and to give them a dependable place to earn a living.
President Ruto said the government is constructing 15 markets in Nandi County alone.
He said that, through the Affordable Housing Programme, young Kenyans involved in the construction work are now earning a decent living.
He added that the government is also building hostels that will provide affordable accommodation for more than 6,000 young people from technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, colleges and universities in the county, so that they can reside comfortably while pursuing their education.
“We have set aside KSh18 billion for housing in Nandi County. We want farms to be well utilised instead of being subdivided,” he said, urging residents to embrace living in the affordable housing units and to use their land to grow crops such as tea, sugarcane and coffee, and to rear livestock, for economic empowerment.
The President said his drive to revive coffee farming had borne fruit.
“You used to earn KSh 70 for a kilo of coffee, but now you get KSh 120, and the price is still stabilising. It will climb to KSh 130 and even KSh140,” he said.
On health, he opened Miteitei Hospital. He stated that Universal Health Coverage was on course, and that upto 33 million Kenyans are benefiting.
President Ruto stated that he plans to stabilise electricity supply in Nandi.
"We are building electricity substations and we are using KSh 300 million to ensure power outages and rationing in the Nandi County becomes a thing of the past," he said.
Turning to his political opponents, he urged them to state their agenda and avoid name-calling.
Governor Sang stated that they had a difficult time while organising for the President's tour.
"Here in Nandi we see development in every sector. We thank you a lot," Governor Sang stated.
President Ruto Praises Organised Traders at Maraba Market Opening
Maraba Market in Nandi County has a Huduma Centre, an ICT hub and food joints selling affordable meals.