“We’ll Create 5 Million Jobs in Next Three Years,” Ruto Announces as He Lists His Achievements

President William Ruto has explained his administration’s economic record, with gains in agriculture, education, healthcare and international trade.

Addressing Kenyans during the 63rd Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret on Tuesday, Ruto said his government had made progress in fulfilling its election promises, insisting that its development agenda was designed to improve household incomes and expand opportunities across the country.

The celebrations, jointly hosted by Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, were held under the theme of security, sports and the economy.

Ruto said his administration had presented Kenyans with a clear economic plan through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), focusing on agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, job creation and support for small businesses.

“Democracy requires leaders to listen, respond, and remain fully answerable to the commitments made to the electorate,” he said, adding that his fifth Mashujaa Day as President offered an opportunity to account for four years in office.

He cited the stabilisation of the exchange rate, containment of inflation and increased private sector credit as key developments, saying Kenya had grown into Africa’s seventh-largest economy.

According to Ruto, the country’s stock market valuation had doubled from KSh2 trillion to KSh4.2 trillion, while foreign direct investment had risen to $3.2 billion.

Agriculture featured prominently in the President’s account, with Ruto noting government interventions had increased production and improved earnings for farmers.

He said the Hustler Fund had advanced KSh98 billion in unsecured credit to more than 10 million regular borrowers, with a further KSh5 billion expected by the end of the year.

The government had also registered 8.9 million farmers and reduced the cost of fertiliser from KSh7,500 in 2022 to KSh2,000, according to the President.

Ruto said maize production had risen from 34.3 million bags in 2022 to 71 million bags, while imports had declined from 9.9 million to 3.3 million bags.

He also cited improved earnings in the coffee, tea and dairy sectors. Coffee cherry prices, he said, had increased from KSh70 to between KSh110 and KSh150 per kilogramme, while the average price of green tea leaf had risen from KSh35 to KSh56 per kilogramme.

Dairy production had increased by one billion litres, he added, while the price paid to farmers had reached KSh60 per litre. In Eldoret, farmers supplying the Kenya Cooperative Creameries were expected to earn KSh65 per litre, alongside a quarterly bonus of KSh2.

On education, Ruto said the government had recruited more than 100,000 teachers, constructed 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 science laboratories, and hired 6,000 instructors for technical and vocational education and training institutions.

He added that enrolment in TVET institutions had increased from 300,000 to 1.3 million students.

The President also defended changes to university funding, saying legislation had been enacted to ensure deserving students were not denied higher education because of financial constraints.

Ruto presented the Social Health Authority (SHA) as a major shift towards universal healthcare, with registration having increased from seven million Kenyans in 2022 to 33.3 million.

He said more than 10,000 health facilities were receiving direct disbursements to purchase medicines and other essential supplies according to their needs.

“Under the Social Health Authority (SHA), over 10,000 healthcare facilities across Kenya now receive direct financial disbursements, granting them the operational autonomy to purchase medicines and essential medical supplies based on local facility priorities,” he stated.

Ruto added that KSh107 billion had been released to healthcare facilities since January 1, describing the amount as the largest healthcare investment in the country’s history.

The President announced that his administration was targeting two million digital jobs, one million international labour opportunities and another two million jobs through housing and related investments over the next three years.

Ruto also said work in the Lake Turkana basin was progressing, with oil exports targeted for December.

Despite listing the government’s achievements, Ruto acknowledged that many Kenyans, particularly young people, had challenged his administration over the cost of living, taxation, unemployment and the pace of change.

“We asked Kenyans to vote for an agenda, not identity; they gave us a mandate, not a blank check; they demanded results, not excuses,” he stated.

He added that an electoral mandate did not remove citizens’ right to question government decisions between elections.

“Their protests remind us that an electoral mandate does not silence the people between elections; citizens retain the right to question their government, challenge its decisions, and demand better,” the President noted.

Ruto urged political leaders to focus on policy proposals and their records rather than ethnic mobilisation and personal attacks.

He challenged those opposed to programmes such as affordable housing, SHA reforms and agricultural support to present credible alternatives.

He also defended the broad-based government formed two years earlier, saying cooperation between leaders from different political backgrounds showed that political competition did not have to prevent joint efforts to address national challenges.

As Kenya marked Mashujaa Day, Ruto said the country’s next task was to turn the freedoms secured by past heroes into economic opportunity for future generations.

“Our constitution does not merely protect the freedom of Kenyans to choose their leaders; it also places upon leaders the responsibility to expand opportunity, protect dignity, and advance social justice,” he remarked.

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