President William Ruto addresses residents in Eldoret as rain falls during his visit to Uasin Gishu County on August 13, 2026/ SCREENGRAB

President William Ruto braved the rain in Eldoret as he addressed residents during his visit to Uasin Gishu County, delivering his message to a crowd despite the wet weather.

Ruto stood on top of a vehicle as he spoke to residents who had gathered to listen to him. While a few people in the crowd carried umbrellas, most stood in the rain without them, with the President also continuing his address without an umbrella.

The President later moved to an affordable housing project site, where he spoke to workers and residents as rain continued.

At the construction site, Ruto wore a safety helmet but did not use an umbrella while engaging those gathered.

During the engagements, Ruto urged Eldoret residents to register as voters while also speaking about his administration's development agenda.

Addressing the crowd in vernacular, the President called for unity and cautioned against tribal divisions, saying his upbringing taught him the importance of bringing Kenyans together.

Ruto said his administration was focused on development across different parts of the country, arguing that Kenyans should prioritise national unity as they pursue economic and social progress.

He also highlighted projects being implemented in Eldoret and other parts of Uasin Gishu County.

In a post accompanying images of his visit, Ruto said he had addressed residents of Maili Nne, Huruma and Eldoret City and updated them on the progress of government projects.

He also inspected the Champions Retail Market in Eldoret City, one of 14 modern markets being constructed across Uasin Gishu County.

Ruto said the government was constructing 600 modern markets nationally as part of efforts to provide traders with safer and more dignified spaces.

“We have not stopped there. Over the past four years, we have worked hard to fulfil each and every commitment we made to the people of Kenya, as set out in our manifesto, The Plan,” Ruto said.

He said the government was seeking to accelerate what he described as the transformation of the country by expanding opportunities and moving Kenya towards a first-world economy.

The Eldoret engagements came as the President continued his tour of the region, using public gatherings and project visits to communicate the government's development priorities.

At the affordable housing project, Ruto interacted with workers and residents at the construction site as he assessed the progress of the programme.