President Ruto's full speech on Jamhuri Day

President of the Republic of Kenya

What you need to know:

In his speech, President Ruto highlights his administration's successes, while also reflecting on Kenya's journey since independence.

1. It is with immense pride that I join you in celebrating the 61st
anniversary of our nation’s birth. At this pivotal moment, we
reflect on the value of our sovereignty and celebrate the
enduring legacy of those whose patriotic efforts took down the
bastions of imperialism. Their sacrifice set our Republic on the
path of liberty, unity, peace, enterprise, and democracy.

2. Today, we affirm - by reflecting on what we have accomplished
since raising the flag of our nation - that by staying true to our
national identity, we have remained consistent through seasons
of abundance and scarcity. We assert our essential collective
character, defined by the values and principles that inspired our
forefathers to struggle and sacrifice, persist and persevere,
endeavour and endure until oppression gave way to freedom,
exclusion gave way to unity, and marginalisation gave way to
equality.

16. Ladies and gentlemen, not only have we registered successive
historic gains against the shame of hunger for 3 seasons, but we
are also firmly on the path towards surplus production. This
impressive rise in productivity has multiplied the incomes of
farmers in the maize, tea, sugar, coffee and dairy value chains.

17. There is no doubt that this agricultural transformation is the
direct result of our strategic decision to shift public resources
from consumption subsidies to supporting productivity. Food is
now more accessible to households than before and, as I stated
in the State of the Nation Address, our country now boasts
substantial national food stocks: 95 million 50kg bags of maize,
9 million bags of beans, 10 million bags of wheat, and 2 million
bags of rice. Step by step, we are building a food-secure Kenya
where every family can afford and access a meal.

22. These robust measures form the foundation of our strategy to
promote the emergence of a fully-fledged digital economy,
leveraging Kenya’s position as a regional hub for software
development and digital exports. These initiatives are supported
by key interventions, such as the establishment of institutional
and incentive frameworks to promote investments, foster
collaborations, and encourage the transfer of digital
technologies, with a particular focus on AI and blockchain.
Through these efforts, we are empowering local digital
innovators and tech entrepreneurs to drive economic
diversification and resilience.

23. Ladies and gentlemen, the discourse around universal healthcare
remains lively, with concerns being raised about eligibility for
coverage, the capability of the facilities to deliver services, and
the alignment of contributions with benefits.

30. The affordable housing strategic pillar of the Bottom-Up
Economic Transformation Agenda has so far created 200,000
jobs and thousands of indirect opportunities across the building
and construction value chain. The universal healthcare coverage pillar has engaged 107,000 community health promoters, alongside other healthcare professionals employed to support
our vision of a functional national healthcare system. In addition,
jobs will be created in healthcare innovation, service delivery,
and ICT support for the digital health system, unlocking
opportunities nationwide. Furthermore, we have recruited
56,000 teachers to address the chronic teacher shortage and
moved the national teacher-to-student ratio closer to the United
Nations recommendation of 1 teacher for every 40 learners. This
December, we are hiring an additional 20,000 teachers, while
our rejuvenated micro, small, and medium enterprises have
created 840,000 jobs this year.

31. To address the urgent need to create opportunities for the
hundreds of thousands of young men and women entering the
labour market annually, we have expanded the employment
opportunity spectrum and implemented strategies to secure jobs
abroad to facilitate mobility and placement of suitably qualified
Kenyans. Since September 2022, more than 243,000 Kenyans
have secured international job opportunities in the healthcare,
agriculture, and construction sectors, among others, and in the
last two months alone, 12,000 have secured jobs abroad. So far,
we have completed bilateral labour frameworks with seven
countries, while agreements with two more countries are
awaiting signature. Additionally, agreements with 13 other
countries are at various stages of negotiations, and we project
to connect up to 2 million Kenyans with jobs abroad once
completed.

32. Our Digital Superhighway and creative economy programme,
which involves laying 100,000 km of last-mile fibre-optic
infrastructure and establishing digital hubs nationwide, is
designed to create digital jobs at the grassroots. To date,
690,000 citizens have been trained in digital skills through the
Ajira and Jitume programmes in various learning institutions, TVETs, and Constituency Innovation Hubs, out of which 180,000 youth have already been linked to online job opportunities, well
on track to creating one million jobs through this programme.
33. Our Special Economic Zones and Export Processing Zones are
boosting investment, manufacturing, and exports, creating jobs
and increasing national wealth. In the past two years, we have
licensed over 80 companies within these zones, creating 14,000
jobs. The six Export Processing Zones flagship projects in Busia,
Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Eldoret, Kwale, and Nakuru, now being
developed, are set to generate 30,000 more jobs. Additionally,
the ongoing operationalisation of Dongo Kundu and Naivasha
special economic zones will create 26,000 jobs, facilitating
private special economic zone investments and supporting
county and public special economic zone operations.

41. As we do this, let us reflect on the lessons of history and rise
above our political differences to deliver for Kenya. Those who
came before us overcame far more turbulent divisions to score
a historic victory whose everlasting legacy benefits us today and
will endure for posterity. As they fought hard to reclaim our
sovereignty, the enemies of our freedom deployed state-of-theart technologies of the time, the radio and the airplane, to
disseminate disinformation and propaganda. This was meant to
discourage, trick and deceive people that freedom fighters had
been defeated and that their leaders had been captured and
neutralised. Our heroes and heroines were not deterred and,
inspired by the righteousness of their cause and the
transformational moment they were in, soldiered on
courageously. On 12th December, therefore, every Kenyan
witnessed their vindication as our majestic flag rose and,
collectively, we reclaimed our proud Jamhuri. Jamhuri Day is also
a moment for Kenyans to expose the fake news aimed at
discrediting our ambition, sabotaging our hope and seeking to
dampen our resolve.

43. I therefore urge all Kenyans to participate fully in our democratic
discourse, even as we work hard in nation-building. At all times,
let us endeavour to engage on the basis of truth. Failure to do
so will take us down the path of negativity, tear us away from
the values we cherish and turn us into a people estranged from
unity who sabotage development, undermine democracy and
destroy our Republic in the pursuit of political expediency.
44. When we say that the cost of basic food commodities has come
down, it is a fact. When we say that inflation has gone down, it
is a fact. When we say that our farmers are producing more and
better, it is a fact, and when we say that Kenyans who have
registered for Taifa Care are receiving better services than
before, it is a fact. We encourage everyone, including our critics,
to engage on the basis of facts and the truth. If some of us
persist in the culture of reckless negativity, for how long will
cynics mobilise Kenyans to deny facts that they can touch, feel
and see? What will they say in a few weeks’ time when we begin
to give keys to the new owners of affordable housing units? What
will they say of the thousands of plumbers, electricians, teachers,
health workers, building and construction workers, digital
workers and many more who are already at work, including the
300 young men and women who were flagged off by my deputy
yesterday to work abroad?

46. We must do all we can to maintain the essential character of our
Republic as an open and free democratic society. This implies
that we must also do all we can to ensure that our political
competition and rivalry never degenerate into a contest to
assault democracy, oppose development and demoralise the
people. We must remember that whatever else sets us apart, we
are united by a desire to achieve the best for Kenya and its
people. With this in mind, we must promote inclusion and
broaden our platform for collective engagement to allow
articulation of diverse viewpoints and the expression of fresh,
new and bold approaches. To be transformational, we must be
ready to transform ourselves and our strategies on a continuous
basis.

47. I will continue to reach out to Kenyans of all walks of life,
regardless of their ideological persuasion, to maximise the crosspollination of the flower of our Republic and guarantee robust seeds for future seasons. You must never underestimate your
power as citizens and your ability to create positive change
individually and all of us collectively. Over time, we have made
gradual and steady changes to many of the economic
development strategies in order to take on board feedback from
the people. In fact, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation
Agenda has in-built mechanisms to improve on the basis of this
feedback because we recognise that, as leaders, every day of
work is a day of learning from the people and that every good
idea must always give way to a better one. Listening, therefore,
is a primary component of effective leadership, and national
transformation is a collective enterprise of all citizens.

President Ruto's full speech on Jamhuri Day

What you need to know:

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