President William Ruto has stated that Kenyans are focused on development and not on outdated politics, empty rhetoric, and sloganeering.

Speaking at a consultative meeting with grassroots leaders in Awendo, Migori County, President Ruto said his government is implementing initiatives to address the country’s challenges and transform the lives of Kenyans.

He reminded his critics that the era of slogans like ‘Ruto must go’ is over and that this is a time to deliver services to Kenyans.

The President pointed to his government’s track record over the past three years, citing the stabilization of the economy.

He explained that the shilling has strengthened from a high of KSh165 to the US dollar to KSh129, and inflation has declined from 9.6% to 4.1%.

In the agricultural sector, he said the removal of subsidies on commodities and a shift to subsidizing production has increased productivity, enhanced food security, and reduced food prices.

He noted that the price of a 50kg bag of fertilizer has dropped from nearly KSh7,000 to KSh2,500. The government has also dealt with cartels by registering 6.5 million farmers on a digital platform.

He said that coffee prices have risen from KSh60 to between KSh110 and KSh150 per kilogram. In the sugar sector, the government has reformed management to ensure farmers are paid on time and earn more, with the goal of making Kenya a net exporter of sugar by 2027.

On education, the government has hired 76,000 teachers in the past two years and plans to recruit an additional 24,000 later this month to address the teacher shortage.

The President also expressed his commitment to universal healthcare through the Social Health Authority (SHA), stating that outpatient services at dispensaries, health centers, and sub-county hospitals are free.

He urged Kenyans to register with the SHA, noting that 25 million people have already done so.

The government, he said, has also secured KSh175 billion for road construction, which has now resumed across the country.

To create jobs for young people, the government’s Affordable Housing Programme has already created 320,000 jobs, with that number expected to double.

The digital economy is also generating jobs through ICT hubs being built in each of the country’s 1,450 wards. The government’s Labour Mobility Programme has benefited 420,000 young people in the past two and a half months.

Additionally, the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, an initiative with the World Bank, will provide a KSh50,000 grant to 70 young people from each ward to invest in their businesses, benefiting over 100,000 young businesspeople.

The ClimateWorx programme is also expanding nationwide, creating jobs for young people in environmental cleaning and tree planting.

President Ruto commended former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for working with the government to unite the country, stating that Kenya cannot be built by a few people but by all united Kenyans.

He reiterated that no region will be left behind as the government rolls out the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

The President also presided over the groundbreaking for the Awendo Affordable Housing Project, a 300-unit project that will create more than 500 jobs and help meet the demand for decent homes. The government plans to build 15,000 housing units and 18 markets in Migori County.

Governor Ochillo Ayacko and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed also attended the meeting, with Mohamed commending the government’s development agenda in Migori County and questioning the opposition’s call for protests without a clear agenda.

ALSO READ: President Ruto pledges more jobs and protection for Kenyan youth locally and abroad