Preparations are in top gear for President William Ruto’s development tour of Bomet and Kericho counties, with the National Youth Service (NYS) stepping up work on key projects expected to feature prominently during the President’s visit.

The tour begins Wednesday, with Ruto expected to inspect, launch and commission a raft of development projects across the two counties.

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In Bomet, NYS has been undertaking the construction of two Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) markets, one at Kapkwen in Chepalungu Constituency and another at Koiwa in Konoin Constituency, as part of efforts to improve trading facilities and create better working spaces for small-scale traders.

On Monday, senior NYS officials led by Assistant Commandant General Philip Koech, the service's head of building, inspected several projects being undertaken by the service in the county.

He was representing the Commandant General.

The inspections come as NYS joins the Bomet County Government in a clean-up operation at a former dumping site located next to the Chepalungu Affordable Housing Project.

NYS last week deployed excavators and a bulldozer to support the removal of accumulated waste from the site, with teams racing against time to clear the area ahead of the official commissioning of the housing project.

The Chepalungu Affordable Housing development, located in Chepalungu Constituency, comprises 220 completed units and is expected to be officially commissioned by Ruto during the tour.

The clean-up is being undertaken jointly by NYS and the county government as part of efforts to improve the environment around the housing development and ensure the area is ready for the President’s visit.

The intervention comes against a wider waste-management challenge in Bomet.

Official environmental assessments noted that the county’s major urban centres lack sanitary landfills or properly designated dumping sites and that illegal dumping in open areas has been a persistent problem.

The President is expected to inspect the Chebunyo ESP Market before proceeding to assess ongoing construction works along the Kapkwen–Olbutyo–Siongiroi–Ndanai corridor.

He will also inspect the ongoing Kapkwen ESP Market and Itembe Airstrip before commissioning the Chepalungu Affordable Housing Project.

The Kapkwen market is expected to accommodate more than 300 traders once completed. It includes a cold room and welfare facilities, among them a dedicated lactation and breastfeeding room for mothers.

Other facilities include a social hall, ICT hub, store, administration room, kitchen, Sacco office and an ATM booth.

At Koiwa, the ESP market is expected to provide space for 207 traders when completed in December.

The one-storey facility will have 114 traders on the ground floor and another 87 on the upper floor.

It will also feature a cold room, mother’s room, social hall, ICT hub, store, administration office, kitchen, Sacco office and an ATM booth.

The projects are expected to provide more organised and dignified spaces for traders while supporting local businesses and improving access to essential services.

Beyond the markets, Ruto’s Bomet programme will include the commissioning of the Dr Joyce Laboso Mother and Baby Hospital, the launch of construction works for Kipchumba Stadium and Mulot ESP Market, and the opening of the new Bomet County Assembly chambers.

The President is also expected to open the new 64-bed-capacity ward at Kapkoros Sub-County Hospital and inspect the Kiplokyi-Chebole road, both in Bomet Central.

Another major highlight will be the Sh500 million Sotik Aggregation and Industrial Park, whose construction was launched on June 16, 2026.

The facility is being developed through a 50:50 partnership between the national and county governments and is expected to strengthen agro-processing, create jobs and expand markets for farmers.

The project is also expected to boost household incomes by creating opportunities for value addition and connecting farmers to wider markets.

Ruto will further inspect the Bomet Town–Longisa–Mulot Water Project and the Koiwa Economic Stimulus Programme market as part of the extensive development tour.

According to NYS, the ongoing works demonstrate its growing role in supporting national and county governments in delivering public infrastructure while providing opportunities for its personnel to contribute directly to community development.

“Through these projects, we are not only improving infrastructure but also supporting communities and creating facilities that will have a lasting impact on local livelihoods,” an official involved in the projects said.