Nairobi, April 7 -- For decades, the northern Kenya region has sat on the margins of the national economy. This is not for lack of potential but simply for lack of connection.

Today, that is changing. The launching of the Isiolo-Wajir-Mandera highway, a 750-kilometre transport corridor, by President William Ruto on February 7, 2025, marked a decisive shift in how Kenya thinks about growth, inclusion and opportunity.

In as much as this is a road project, it is also a statement that every part of Kenya must be connected to the country's economic future. With almost a third of the length already tarmacked, more opportunities are being explored.

At the heart of the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) is a simple id...