When President Dr. William Samoei Ruto took the reins of power in a very well attended inauguration at the Moi Kasarani Sports Stadium in September 2022, the country was full of hope and optimism. The public enthusiasm would only match that of 2002 when President Mwai Kibaki became Kenya’s Third president after 35 years of KANU rule. The enthusiasm may seem to have dwindled but for the reasons that can only show that the Fifth Kenyan president is most understood from his intentions.
For starters, the economic indicators show a gradual but positive turnaround since he became President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces exactly 28 months ago. The latest indicator has been the Moody’s Ratings that just three days ago gave Kenya a positive outlook and many years of a negative trend even before Ruto became president.
The Caa1 ratings whilst has a lot of room for improvement isa clear note of approval for Kenya’s access to both concessional and commercial loans from international lenders. This favourable rating wouldn’t have come if it were not for the improved economic environment currently prevailing in this country of nearly 55 million people.
Whilst some of the radical fiscal and monetary policy changes have found resistance, many have been embraced after true positive impact in the lives of common mwananchi have been realized. Some will take a little longer for that to happen. But it shall. Take for instance the reforms at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
This administration has pushed for increased contributions from workers and this has been mistaken as increased taxes. Nothing can be further from the truth. Increased contributions can only increase savings and have retirees have a much better package enough to help them take care of themselves upon retirement.
It is in a way encouraging a saving couture among the populace, something that has been elusive in the behaviour of consumers since independence over 60 years ago. The same saving culture is innate in the Housing Levy and the Boma Yetu affordable housing programme where Kenyans can buy houses and own homes by paying in small proportions to afford their own from as low as Sh 1million.The happiness and satisfaction that comes with the utility of owning one’s own home is something that is the dream of every Kenyan.
The houses are coming with utilities such as power, clean and reliable tap water as well as standard sewage and solid waste management packages. But very few are coming out to appreciate that at the onset of his leadership, the most sensitive part of any Kenya’s dinner table ,Ugali has had the retail price drop by over 50 per cent. Whilst in September 2022 the price of a 2 kg maize meal Unga would cost up to Sh 230 today, the same is costing between Sh 90 to 100 and in rare occasions Sh 120.
Notably, this wasn’t just an Abracadabra moment. It wasn’t by accident. This was the fruits of a well thought out policy of subsidizing fertilizer instead of subsidizing fuel as was in the previous regime. With fertilizer prices per bag dropping from Sh 6,500 to Sh2,200, the cost of input in the farm dropped drastically and making it affordable to have timey planting that has led to a bumper harvest across the land. That’s a whooping 60 per cent drop in fertilizer retailprice.Similar results have been seen in the Sugar sub-sector where for the very first time in Kenya’s independence history, sugar cane farmers have received bonuses as announced by President Ruto himself during a public function at Mumias Sugar Company in Kakamega County last week.
The amounts declared are in the region of Sh 150 million. So, good has been the sugar cane harvest that for the first time, Kenya has been self-sufficient if her sugar needs. Kenya stopped importation of foreign sugar! This is not a celebration for farmers and consumers of the staple food, but a crucial savings in our dollar reserves that would have ordinarily put pressure on the Shilling as we import sugar from all kinds of sources. Yet President Ruto has done so much with the foreign exchange rates seeing the US Dollar easing against the Shilling from Sh 167 in September2013 to Sh 129 to the Dollar today.
The sheer impact of stable Shillings to the Dollar is immeasurable including in affording imports for production across the economy easing inflation. Instructively, Kenya’s economic resilience in the past Two Years and a Half can be seen in the drop of inflation rate coming from 6.6 per cent to 2.6 per cent currently. And things are getting better as the healthcare in its new application and form in Social and Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) gets shape after some teething challenges at the beginning. Many patients are reporting more timely approval and higher amounts at that.
The new healthcare has dealt a blow to cartels at Afya House who were making a cut out of those approvals that are now standardized in all government health facilities.
On the international front, we can say President Ruto has marketed this country more than the Magical Kenya, Kenya Tourism Board and the entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs has done since 60 years ago.
His drive and zeal for action on Climate Change and Global Warming has caught the attention of every leadership in every corner of the Globe.
The summit held here in Nairobi bringing African and World leaders has gone a long way in ensuring proper funding for environment especially carbon compensation.
Kenya’s bold intervention in Haiti has brought much needed hope to the people of Haiti when no country was willing to make the first move.
Today over four nations including Jamaica have joined the over 600 Kenyan police keeping peace in Haiti.
And as our country grapple with unemployment and a big youth population ready to work, President Ruto has made outreach to different countries signing protocols that would allow better working conditions for Kenyans abroad.
And just to make sure our children continue getting Quality education, President Ruto, one of the few with a PhD in the World has made sure the student to teacher ratio is improved after he employed over 60,000 more teachers.
