By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, August 25, 2026 - President William Ruto has officially launched the upgrading of the Enengetia–Olkurto–Olpusimoru road in Narok County to bitumen standards, as the government moves to improve transport links in one of the country's key agricultural areas.
The road project is expected to connect farming communities in Narok North with wider markets, easing the movement of farm inputs into the region and agricultural produce to consumers.
Government documents put the project at approximately 49 kilometres, with different sections receiving bitumen and gravel upgrades.
The President launched the project on Tuesday during his development tour of Narok, with the road passing through an area known for the production of wheat, barley, potatoes and other crops.
Speaking during the launch, Ruto said the government had secured KSh3 billion for the road project and linked the investment directly to the needs of farmers.
He said improved roads would make it easier for farmers to access agricultural inputs while reducing the difficulties involved in transporting their produce to markets.
The President also used the occasion to announce further reductions in the cost of farm inputs.
From next month, the price of a 50-kilogramme bag of subsidised fertiliser will fall from KSh2,500 to KSh2,000, a KSh500 reduction.
The government has also announced that it will meet half the cost of certified maize seed, cutting the farmer's price from KSh300 to KSh150 per kilogramme. The measures are expected to cost the government about KSh6 billion and cover approximately 40 million kilogrammes of maize seed.
Ruto said the lower input costs were intended to help farmers recover from poor rains and increase food production during the coming planting season.
The fertilizer reduction comes after the government had already brought the price of a 50-kilogramme bag down to KSh2,500 under its subsidy programme. The latest cut represents a further 20 per cent reduction from the current subsidised price.
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For farmers in Narok, the two interventions address different parts of the same challenge.
While cheaper fertiliser and seed reduce the cost of production, improved roads are expected to reduce the cost and difficulty of moving those inputs to farms and taking harvested crops to market.
The Enengetia–Olkurto–Olpusimoru corridor is particularly significant because it serves an agricultural zone that forms part of Kenya's food-producing belt. The upgraded road is expected to strengthen connections between farmers and markets beyond the immediate communities.
Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu welcomed the infrastructure investment, while also highlighting other development interventions in the county, including the issuance of title deeds to residents.
The President's visit also included appeals for unity among communities in Narok, with leaders urging residents to focus on development and reject ethnic divisions.
For farmers, however, the immediate significance of the government's announcements is practical: a major farm-to-market road is being upgraded while the cost of two critical agricultural inputs is being reduced.
The government is betting that combining investment in agricultural infrastructure with cheaper inputs will help farmers increase production, improve market access and strengthen Kenya's food security.