Nairobi — President William Ruto has said the government has risen to the occasion and provided effective leadership that has steered the country back on the path to success.
President Ruto said the government has enacted robust measures to address challenges hindering the country's progress.
This, he explained, has minimised the country's vulnerability to external shocks, reduced fiscal distress, and managed the country's structural imbalances.
"From the first day in office, we have worked hard every day to move our agenda forward, amid many challenges, to forge a path in the direction of progress," he said.
Speaking on Thursday during the State of the Nation address in parliament, President Ruto outlined the government's achievements in implementing the country's development agenda.
President Ruto said the government has initiated revolutionary reforms aimed at managing the country's debt ensuring that the nation lives within its means.
He said that these efforts, aimed at stabilizing the debt situation, have made it possible for the country to settle its first $300 million instalment of the $2 billion Eurobond debt in December, ahead of next year's deadline.
"We have had to take hard decisions and make painful choices because we owe it to Kenyans to do the right thing and confront facts as they are without flinching or equivocating," he said.
He added that the the government has fostered a strong culture of saving among Kenyans to raise funds for development locally.
"Contributions to the National Social Security Fund have grown to KSh6.5 billion monthly," he said.
The President noted that the government's shift to invest in supporting agricultural production, as opposed to subsidizing consumption, has yielded incredible results, leading to a drop in the cost of unga.
"Today a 2kg packet of maize flour is selling at a low of KSh145 and a high of KSh175 depending on the brand down from KSh250. A Gorogoro of maize is selling at between KSh60 and KSh75," he said.
The Head of State said that the Hustler Fund has transformed the lives of Kenyans who were previously burdened by exploitative interest rates.
He noted that by the end of the last month, the Fund had disbursed KSh36.6 billion, with KSh2.3 billion in savings and 7.5 million repeat borrowers whose overall repayment rate is at an impressive 73 per cent.
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"The public response to the Hustler Fund has exceeded most initial projections and surprised even the most hardened sceptics," he said.
The Affordable Housing, he said, has not only made it possible for low-income earners to become homeowners but has also created jobs for youth in construction and its value chains.
"50,000 Kenyans, who were previously unemployed, are now engaged directly and indirectly in this enterprise," he said.
He mentioned that the enactment of four universal healthcare laws will ensure Kenyans have access to quality healthcare without being plunged into poverty due to huge medical bills.
Other programmes he highlighted were the digitisation of government services to enhance transparency and efficiency and education reforms aimed at ensuring equality.
He said that 56,750 new teachers have been employed, along with 8,200 primary school teachers who have been re-trained to better handle the Junior School level.
He also said the government has made significant progress in managing security in the North Rift and the rest of the country. - Presidential Communication Service
