President William Ruto and his deputy, Kithure Kindiki, on Monday held talks with political leaders from Meru County at State House, Nairobi, in a meeting that blended party politics with development priorities.

The closed-door session brought together Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma, 11 Members of Parliament, and 67 of the county’s 69 Members of County Assembly. The turnout signalled a rare show of unity from the region’s leadership.

President Ruto said the discussions centred on strengthening the United Democratic Alliance at the grassroots, starting with plans for party elections at polling-centre level.

“Strong party structures at the local level are critical for effective organisation and service delivery,” Ruto said.

Beyond party matters, the leaders reviewed progress on key government projects in Meru and agreed on ways to speed up programmes meant to boost the local economy and improve daily life.

One of the flagship projects already underway is the Sh1 billion upgrade of Meru County Hospital into a national referral facility. The government is also connecting electricity to 30,000 households, building 17 modern markets, rolling out affordable housing schemes, and improving major roads across the county.

Ruto said more large-scale infrastructure works are in the pipeline. These include the construction of the Nithi Bridge and a 17-kilometre Meru Town Bypass, projects expected to cost about Sh3 billion.

He said the road and bridge projects will ease traffic, support trade, and improve links within the region and beyond.

Deputy President Kindiki used the meeting to highlight the growing interest in UDA ahead of the 2027 General Election. He said the party has so far attracted 9,165 aspirants seeking its nomination.

According to Kindiki, 139 aspirants want to run for governor, 240 are eyeing Senate seats, and 274 are competing for the 47 Women Representative positions. Another 1,205 hopefuls are seeking tickets for National Assembly seats, while the largest group—7,307 aspirants—are targeting MCA positions.

“Registration is still open and will remain so until the legal deadline, which is 90 days before the election,” Kindiki said.

The meeting underscored the administration’s message that political organisation and development must move together, with county leaders expected to play a central role in delivering results on the ground.