Kenya: President Ruto Urges Patience for Manifesto Fulfillment

5 November 2023

Nairobi — President William Ruto has called on Kenyans to exercise patience while his Kenya Kwanza administration works toward fulfilling its election promises.

Addressing a thanksgiving church service at Mombasa's Mama Ngina Waterfront on Sunday, Ruto acknowledged that understanding the time required for promise fulfillment is crucial.

Inspired by a sermon delivered by the presiding bishop during the service, Ruto emphasized the virtue of patience in religious teachings. He acknowledged that leaders are eager to fulfill their pledges, but progress is affected when the necessary patience is lacking.

Ruto urged Kenyans to unite with the government to expedite the fulfillment of promises, emphasizing that collaboration with leaders from all parties is a priority for the Kenya Kwanza administration.

The President's statement comes amidst criticism from some Kenyans and the opposition regarding the administration's progress in fulfilling its Kenya Kwanza manifesto promises, particularly in areas like taxation and governance.

"I have come to understand that for me to fulfill the promises, made to Kenyans, there needs to be patience. Sometimes even I wonder why this promise has taken so long. However, I have learned that this is because I fail to understand that patience is crucial to fulfill any promise," he said amid pressure for him to keep the timelines he gave when seeking for votes a year ago.

The President stated that the leaders across the country continue to remain anxious about when they would fulfill their promises, but they face difficulty because they fail to acknowledge that everything takes time.

He called on Kenyans to join hands with the government to help speed up the fulfillment of the promises made.

Ruto went on to say that the Kenya Kwanza administration is looking to collaborate with all leaders across the country, regardless of party affiliation, to provide services to wananchi.

Ruto's statement comes as his administration continues to come under heavy criticism from a section of Kenyans and the opposition for failing to fulfill most of the promises made in their Kenya Kwanza manifesto which enabled them to ascend into power.

The President who served as the Deputy during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime had pledged to improve the living standards of Kenyans and vowed to revise some of the policies he deemed "retrogressive" under the previous regime.

However, more than a year after assuming office, the Kenya Kwanza administration appeared to struggle to implement some of the promises they had pledged to achieve within the first year of their leadership.

However, more than a year after taking office, the Kenya Kwanza administration appears to be struggling to fulfill some of the promises they had pledged to achieve within the first year of their time in office.

One of the most contentious policies that has put President Ruto on the bad books of a section of Kenyans is the increased taxes on essential commodities that has made the lives of most Kenyans unbearable.

Ruto has also come under fire for hiring individuals with questionable character including those linked to corrupt practices to serve in his administration despite assuring Kenyans that he would not condone graft while in office.

The failure of the Ruto administration to lower the cost of living has also made him unpopular with Kenyans.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.