President William Ruto announced that the government will stop importing lifts for the Affordable Housing Programme and will source them from Kenyan manufacturers.

The statement was made during the handover of 2,157 homes at the Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, where seven local firms have been secured to supply lifts.

Ruto noted that imported lifts currently account for about 3 % of the equipment used in the Pioneer estate, indicating a small but existing reliance on foreign components.

He added that from now on, all lifts for new affordable‑housing projects will be manufactured within Kenya.

The Pioneer development, valued at Sh5.37 billion, comprises 15 apartment blocks, 104 shops and 2,157 residential units across social, affordable and market‑rate categories.

The estate also includes community amenities such as a kindergarten, playgrounds, green open spaces, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, basketball courts and a football pitch.

Ruto said the wider housing programme aims to complete 45,000 affordable housing units by December 2027 and highlighted the government's commitment to protecting contributions to the Affordable Housing Fund.

He also mentioned that the broader housing drive in Uasin Gishu County includes plans for 12,429 affordable homes worth Sh29.9 billion, alongside other projects such as Eldoret Railway City and Kidiwa Phase 2.