KIKUYU, Kenya, Mar 1 — President William Ruto joined the Alliance High School fraternity to mark the school’s 100 years in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, on Sunday.The President commended the school for its rich history of academic excellence, noting that it has produced some of the finest leaders and professionals in the country.To ensure the institution upholds its legacy, he committed that the government will continue to support Alliance High School, particularly in infrastructure development.The President announced that the government is investing KSh550 million, including KSh60 million for the construction of 40 classrooms.Additionally, he said KSh200 million has been allocated for the improvement of roads around the school.Further, the President pointed out that the Ministry of Sports would build a sports academy at the school at a cost of KSh60 million.Earlier, President Ruto handed over a 640-bed dormitory worth KSh155 million and a dining hall that cost KSh88 million, both funded by the government.At Alliance Girls High School, President Ruto announced that the government will provide KSh155 million for a 640-bed dormitory, KSh40 million for 24 classrooms and an additional KSh100 million for the completion of a science complex.“The budget we are going to spend at Alliance High School is close to KSh550 million. This is because this institution has a great history and serves our children from across the Republic of Kenya,” he said.The President was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, MPs and MCAs.At the same time, President Ruto said the government is raising funding for research and innovation from 0.8 per cent to 2 per cent of GDP.He pointed out that science and technology will from now on increasingly play a central role in the country’s advancement.The President also announced that the government will issue a Charter to the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology University at the Konza Technopolis, Makueni County, which will offer postgraduate studies in science, technology and innovation, training the highest calibre of human capital in Kenya.“We will be picking the best from all our universities, First Class Honours graduates, so that we can develop our own human capital that understands our circumstances, helps us solve our problems and thinks of innovative ways of taking Kenya to the next level,” he said.At the same time, President Ruto launched the KSh45 billion National Solarisation Programme for Basic Education Institutions at Alliance High School.The President said the programme will strengthen Kenya’s climate action by transitioning schools from using firewood to solar energy cooking and lighting.The Solarisation Programme for Basic Education Institutions is reducing energy costs in schools, expanding access to clean and reliable renewable power and unlocking the potential to generate up to 780 megawatts of solar energy.It will also create green jobs, strengthen climate action and accelerate the country’s journey towards green growth.The pilot phase has 266 schools already running on solar power. The target is to reach 3,213 schools by June.“We are rolling out the programme so that, in the next one year, we will have solarised all our schools,” he said.Speaker Kingi said President Ruto has made remarkable achievements in the education sector in the past three years.He cited the employment of 100,000 teachers, the construction of 23,000 classrooms and the streamlining of the university funding.Mr Ichung’wah commended President Ruto for improving the infrastructure of Alliance High School and other institutions in Kikuyu Constituency.Later, the President inspected the ongoing construction of the 1,140-unit Kikuyu Affordable Housing Project, which has employed more than 1,000 young people.“We are building 250,000 affordable housing units across the country,” he added.In Kiambu County, the President explained that the government has invested KSh43 billion in the construction of 17,000 affordable housing units, 30 new modern markets and 8,000-bed capacity hostels.On roads, he said the government is investing KSh18 billion in the county, and another KSh22 billion for the construction of the Muthaiga-Kiambu-Ndumberi dual carriageway to ease traffic congestion.“We will transform Kiambu and the country through development programmes and projects,” he said.On healthcare, he said the Social Health Authority covers over 1.3 million residents in Kiambu County and has already paid KSh5.5 billion for them in the past 15 months.Meanwhile, the President told the opposition to present their agenda to Kenyans, describing their politics of personalities as retrogressive.Saying the government is transforming Kenya, he noted that economic growth and stability are evidence of the work done.