President William Ruto has said Kenyans will not be swayed by outdated politics, empty rhetoric, and political sloganeering, insisting they are more interested in policies and programmes that improve lives.
Speaking at the Sony Sugar Green Stadium in Awendo, Migori County, during a consultative meeting with grassroots leaders, Ruto said the government is implementing initiatives to tackle national challenges and drive transformation.
“There are people who want to take us back to the politics of slogans like ‘Ruto must go’. This will not take you anywhere. Kenyans want to know what plan you have for them,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Governor Ochillo Ayacko, Cabinet Secretaries Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and John Mbadi (Treasury), MPs, and MCAs.
Ruto said his critics should focus on delivering services, noting that his administration has in the past three years stabilised the economy and placed it on a growth path.
He cited the strengthening of the shilling from Ksh165 to Ksh129 against the US dollar, and a drop in inflation from 9.6 per cent to 4.1 per cent last month.
On agriculture, Ruto said the shift from consumption subsidies to production subsidies has increased food production, reduced prices, and boosted farmer earnings. Fertiliser prices have dropped from nearly Ksh7,000 to Ksh2,500 per 50kg bag, while coffee prices have risen from Ksh60 to between Ksh110 and Ksh150 per kilogramme.
He said reforms in the sugar sector are reviving the industry and ensuring farmers are paid promptly, with sugarcane suppliers now receiving payment within a week. By 2027, he added, Kenya aims to be a net exporter of sugar.
On education, the government has hired 76,000 teachers in two years, with 24,000 more to be recruited this month.
Ruto also reaffirmed his commitment to universal healthcare under the Social Health Authority, saying outpatient services at dispensaries, health centres, and sub-county hospitals are free. He warned officials against charging patients illegally.
The President said the government has secured Ksh175 billion for road projects, resumed construction nationwide, and rolled out programmes creating jobs for young people. These include the Affordable Housing Programme, which has created 320,000 jobs; the digital economy, with ICT hubs in all 1,450 wards; and the Labour Mobility Programme, which has benefited 420,000 youths in two and a half months.
Other initiatives include the NYOTA programme, offering Ksh50,000 grants to 70 young people per ward, and the ClimateWorx programme, which hires youth to clean environments and plant trees.
Ruto commended former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for working with the government to unite the country, saying national unity is key to transformation.
“Kenya cannot be built by a few people or sections of political groupings, but by all united Kenyans,” he said.
He announced that the government will build 15,000 housing units and 18 markets in Migori County, and later presided over the groundbreaking of the 300-unit Awendo Affordable Housing Project, expected to create over 500 jobs.
Governor Ayacko said Migori is working with the national government on the transformation agenda, while Suna East MP Junet Mohamed praised the government’s development projects in the county and questioned the opposition’s current protest calls.
“We came out with cooking pots on our heads because of the high food prices. Today, the prices have gone down,” Junet said.
