Wajir County’s hosting of the 63rd Madaraka Day has emerged as a defining symbol of Northern Kenya’s economic reawakening. As Wajir prepares to host the first Madaraka Day celebration in the former Northern Frontier District (NFD), President Ruto’s inclusivity agenda is finally transforming a region long left on the margins since independence.
For the first time since Kenya gained independence, Madaraka Day celebrations will be held in the former Northern Frontier District. On June 1, 2026, all eyes will turn to Wajir County—a region that, for decades, symbolised state neglect but now stands at the frontier of a new economic dawn.
This moment corrects a historical omission. Founded by the British colonial administration in 1912, Wajir is the third-oldest town in Kenya, after Mombasa and Malindi. Despite its deep historical roots and strategic location in the heart of the former NFD, the region remained largely disconnected from the national mainstream for over five decades following independence. While other parts of the country developed rapidly, Northern Kenya’s vast potential—including Wajir International Airport, which boasts the third-longest runway in Kenya after JKIA and Moi International Airport—remained largely untapped. That narrative is now being rewritten.
For residents of the NFD, the 2010 Constitution and the advent of devolution represented a second liberation. The 63rd Madaraka Day anniversary in Wajir will mark what many call the region’s “third independence”—a recognition that political marginalisation is finally being replaced by tangible economic inclusion. At the center of this transformation is President William Ruto’s economic inclusivity policy, which treats Northern Kenya not as a peripheral afterthought but as a core pillar of national growth.
Unlike his predecessors—President Jomo Kenyatta (who never visited the region), President Mwai Kibaki (who visited once), and President Uhuru Kenyatta (who visited once, primarily for campaigns)—President Ruto has become the most frequent visitor to the NFD since the 2010 Constitution. His consistent presence signals a fundamental shift: Northern Kenyans are bona fide citizens entitled to the same government services as those in Central, Western, Rift Valley, Nyanza, Eastern, and Coast regions.
It is worth noting that the late Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga also demonstrated a genuine commitment to the region, frequently visiting Northern Kenya. Together with President Ruto—during their time in the Grand Coalition Government (Nusu Mkate)—they established the affirmative action–based Ministry of Northern Kenya, appointing Hon. Mohamed Elmi as its first minister. Whether the ministry fully achieved its mandate remains open to debate, but the foundation for structural inclusion was laid.
As President Ruto’s first term draws to a close, the physical landscape of Wajir and its neighboring counties is being reshaped through transformative infrastructure, most notably the Horn of Africa Gateway Project. The flagship Isiolo–Modogashe–Wajir–Mandera Road (740 km) is nearing completion. Funded by the World Bank as a backbone project under the North Eastern Development Initiative (NEDI), this road will finally link Wajir and Mandera to Ethiopia and Somalia, transforming the region into a cross-border trade corridor.
Alongside this, a range of complementary projects is underway, including the Wajir Sanitation Development Project, off-grid and hybrid solar initiatives with plans to connect to the national grid from Garissa or Ethiopia, the Underground Water Project, and the Kenya Urban Support Programme for Wajir Municipality, funded by the World Bank.
President Ruto has gone further, issuing a series of directives that will permanently alter the region’s civic and economic identity. These include a state-of-the-art stadium—the Mini Raila Odinga Talanta Stadium—which will be the first modern sports facility of its scale in the NFD. He has also ordered the construction of the first State Lodge in the Northern Frontier Region, symbolizing a permanent presidential presence in the north.
Another directive is the commercialisation of Wajir International Airport, aimed at unlocking its full potential for passenger and cargo flights and enabling direct livestock and value-chain exports to Middle Eastern markets. Additional projects include affordable housing, modern markets, and the upgrading of the Griftu Livestock Training Institute (World Bank-funded) into a potential Wajir University College.
In a strategic move, the President has also initiated steps to reopen the Kenya–Somalia border along the Mandera–Wajir–Garissa corridor. With Somalia now a member of the East African Community (EAC), the border is no longer solely a security concern but an economic gateway. Wajir is poised to become a hub for trade with Somalia, opening new markets for Kenyan goods and services.
The current Governor of Wajir—the first Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG) from the NFD and a former Vice Chair, now serving his final term—has demonstrated transformative leadership. Under his tenure, President Ruto will witness firsthand that devolution is delivering for the people of Northern Kenya. During the Madaraka Day visit, the President is expected to officiate the opening of the Wajir Cancer Centre, a major medical facility that will reduce the need for long-distance referrals, as well as the first Wajir County Assembly complex and official residences for the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Assembly Speaker.
When President Ruto opens the State Lodge, the commercial site at Wajir International Airport, and the modern stadium, he will not simply be inaugurating buildings. He will be re-engineering the once-neglected Northern Frontier District into an emerging international business hub and a future food basket for Kenya.
More importantly, he will be sending an unmistakable message: economic inclusivity is not a slogan but a strategy. For the first time since independence, the people of Wajir and the wider NFD are not just watching history from the sidelines—they are hosting it.
Ibrahim Rashid is a Senior Presidential Adviser - NEDI Directorate
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