President William Ruto, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa at Soweto Catholic Church, Embakasi East, Nairobi County on 17 November 2024.
President William Ruto has defended his government’s flagship projects, saying he has noted critics’ concerns, and that he will work to ensure the ventures succeed.
While speaking at Soweto Catholic Church in Kayole, Nairobi, President Ruto said he was confident that the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), affordable housing project and the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) would change Kenya for the better.
SHIF and the housing project, he said, would uplift the lives of millions of Kenyans who are facing challenges accessing health services and low-cost, decent housing.
This was the third time, in as many days, that the Head of State attended a Sunday service at a Catholic church after the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) accused his administration of promoting a “culture of lies” and failing to deliver on the election pledges he made to Kenyans.
The implementation of CBC has faced many challenges, ranging from lack of infrastructure for junior secondary to inadequate, ill-prepared and ill-equipped teachers.
On Thursday, opposition leaders, led by Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua accused the president of ruining Kenya’s education system, and mortgaging the future of Kenyan children and youth.
“The Ruto regime is playing with fire in a systematic destruction of education at all levels through cacophony of ill-conceived reform, betrayal of election promises, contempt of court rulings, intimidation of critics as its modus operandi,” she said.
56,000 teachers
The president on Sunday said the government had hired 56,000 teachers over the last two years and is currently building 16,000 classrooms for the Grade 9 pupils.
“One of my children is studying in the CBC system. Many times, leaders take their children to international schools but as the president, I decided that my child must go through the CBC programme. I do this to inspire confidence in parents and tell them that we mean the best for our children,” he said.
Further, the Commander-in-Chief said during his meeting with Nairobi’s members of Parliament last week that each MP was given Sh58million from the State’s coffers and directed to build at least 30 new classrooms in their constituencies.
In matters of health, the Head of State said that the newly established SHA, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), will help Kenyans who previously had limited to no access to healthcare.
“To the leaders of the church (KCCB), what they said, we will work with every stakeholder to ensure SHA works. We have already paid Sh5 billion to health facilities,” he said.
It was at this point that President Ruto turned on his generosity switch and donated Sh300,000 to the children’s choir and another amount to the church choir “for their wonderful performance during the church service”
He also asked the church’s head of development to visit him at the State House this week to collect Sh5 million to complete the construction of the house for the priest of the Parish.
Further, he promised that by January, when he will have come back to the city after the “harvesting season” he will come back with a bus for the church.
In July, 2024, shortly after the Gen Z protests had calmed down, the President asked the Attorney General to come up with legislation to ensure that no state officer and public officer will participate in public contributions henceforth.
To the residents in Soweto, the President said that the 32-acre Jacaranda grounds will undergo immense transformation and no longer just be an open field misused by youths who abuse drugs.
He promised to construct an early childhood education centre, a primary school, a secondary school and a Technical and Vocational Education Training institute on the grounds.
“Should there be space left, we will also put up an affordable housing project. We will also build a modern stadium at Jacaranda so that instead of the place being a drug den, it will be a centre of sports excellence,” he said.
State Department of Housing Principal Secretary, Charles Hinga, who was present at the rally was directed to commence the plans for the construction within a day.
The road connecting Area 17 to Soweto Bridge, which Dr Ruto joked looked like the biblical rough road going to heaven, will also be redone and completed by January and directed the Kenya Urban Roads Authority Director General, Silas Kinoti, to ensure the task is completed on time.
Previous regimes failed
On his part, Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja asked Kenyans to give President Ruto and his administration time to deliver on their promises.
The problems bestriding Kenya, Governor Sakaja said, have existed for over six decades since Kenya got independence noting that even previous regimes failed to address them.
“I was in Murang’a recently and the people asked me about MauMau Road. The Mau Mau stopped fighting in 1963 and we had the first president for 14 years, the second one for 24 years and the road got worse. The third one came for a decade and still no road, the fourth one came too and still not no road. But just two years later and everyone is blaming the President. How can he solve 60-year-old problems in just two years?” he posed.
On his part, National Assembly Majority leader, Kimani Ichungwa said the MPs had received the “greetings” from KCCB and though scathing it was, they were impressed by how the President took it in stride.
“Mr President, it is not that Kenyans are chasing you for nothing, it is just that they have faith that you will do great things for this country and speedily so. If you think they are chasing you, be ready because we (MPs)will keep you on your toes to ensure you do your best,” he said.
