President William Ruto, in his State of the Nation address from State House, Nairobi, highlighted significant strides and introduced sweeping changes aimed at bolstering Kenya’s economic and social landscape.
Ruto emphasized the success of his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), a key pillar of his administration since the 2022 General Election. Key achievements include increased food production through reduced farm input costs, economic stabilization, and averted debt default. The President also cited stabilized fuel prices, lowered inflation, and a stable foreign exchange regime as markers of progress.
In education, Ruto’s administration has addressed uncertainties surrounding the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and launched a new student-focused higher education funding model. Additionally, 56,000 teachers and 2,000 TVET tutors have been employed to improve the student-teacher ratio.
Ruto also announced improvements in the cash transfer program for vulnerable groups, ensuring timely disbursements alongside public servant salaries. The Hustler Fund has registered 22 million borrowers, with 2 million benefiting daily, and 7 million Kenyans previously blacklisted by the Credit Reference Bureau now have access to financial services.
The Affordable Housing Programme is underway with 100,000 units under construction and 160,000 jobs created. Efforts to expand manufacturing have led to the construction of 18 County Aggregation and Industrial Parks, 6 Special Economic Zones, and 200 integrated fresh produce markets. Levies on clinker and steel billet imports have rejuvenated local industries, creating thousands of jobs and saving significant foreign exchange.
On digital transformation, 17,000 government services are now online, supported by 274 digital hubs.
In healthcare, the Universal Health Coverage plan is progressing with 107,000 community health promoters onboarded, and the Social Health Insurance Fund set for launch on October 1, 2024.
In a dramatic move, Ruto dismissed all Cabinet Secretaries and the Attorney-General, excluding the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. This decision, driven by recent events and the need for extensive transformation, aims to establish a lean, efficient government. Ruto plans extensive consultations to form a broad-based government to address debt, job creation, waste elimination, and corruption.
Operations will continue under Principal Secretaries during the transition. Ruto promised further measures soon, reinforcing his commitment to Kenya’s transformative journey.