President Ruto Engages Graduate Interns for National Housing Projects

President William Ruto met with 5,000 graduate interns at State House, Nairobi, on Friday to discuss their roles in the implementation of the Affordable Housing Programme. The cohort, which includes professionals from various built environment disciplines, is part of a broader government initiative to integrate young graduates into large-scale infrastructure and residential projects across Kenya. 

The interns were recruited following a nationwide selection process conducted by the Public Service Commission and the State Department for Housing and Urban Development. This group represents the first major cohort of the 2026 cycle, with the Ministry previously indicating plans to scale up such placements to support the increasing volume of active construction sites. The engagement provided a forum for the graduates to align with the technical and administrative requirements of the project.

The project remains a central pillar of the administration's development agenda. Those onboarded include architects, civil engineers, quantity surveyors, and construction managers, as well as graduates in support fields such as accounting and ICT. During the session, the President emphasized that the program is designed to provide practical experience and professional mentorship while addressing the technical human resource needs of the housing sector. These interns are expected to be deployed to various county and institutional housing project sites starting this month. 

The Department for Housing and Urban Development recently concluded a three-day induction for the graduates. This training focused on the framework of the internship, including the mentorship structures and the specific performance parameters required at construction sites. The one-year non-renewable internship provides participants with a government-determined stipend and a certificate of completion from the State Department, aimed at improving their competitiveness in the private and public labor markets.

This engagement at the State House follows the advertisement of several thousand slots in late 2025, which saw high interest from graduates of both universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The recruitment was decentralized across all 47 counties to ensure national representation within the workforce. The interns are tasked with documenting the skills they acquire and participating in mentorship initiatives led by senior professionals and consultants currently engaged by the Ministry.