On June 30, President-elect William Ruto unveiled his five-point manifesto, ‘The Plan,’ and stated that Kenya’s economic challenges require immediate attention and that one of his priorities as President will be to revive the economy in the post-Covid era.
He stated that he will make a decisive break from business-as-usual economic policies and implement bold economic reforms in a coordinated manner in order to accelerate job creation and ensure that no one is left behind in the empowerment process.
Below is a summary of Ruto’s key pledges
- Investing at least Sh250 billion in five years effective 2023 to boost Agriculture and food security
- Providing Sh50b annually to provide MSMEs with reliable access to credit
- Building e 250,000 new affordable houses every year through public-private partnership
- Setting up a settlement fund to acquire land and resettle up to one million landless families
- Mandatory national insurance (NHIF)
- Establishment of new level 6 hospitals in six new sites and hiring an initial 20,000 health care workers
- Constructing a 100,000-kilometer fiber optic connectivity network
- Bridging current teacher shortage gap within two financial years
- Doubling the amount of money allocated to the school feeding programme
- Appointing all judges nominated by JSC for appointment to the Court of Appeal within seven days
- Lower cadre officers (sergeant and below) to be given the option of serving in their home counties from age 50
Sector pledges
1. Agriculture & Food Security
- An investment of at least Sh250 billion in five years effective 2023
- Transforming two million poor farmers from food deficit to surplus producers
- Raising the productivity of key-value food chains and cutting basic food imports by 30 percent
2. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME)
- Providing Sh50b annually to provide MSMEs with reliable access to credit
- Provide one street trading premises for every 50 urban residents
- Increase the daily income of informal traders by Sh200
- Establishing MSME Business Development Centre in every ward
3. Housing and Settlement
- New 250,000 affordable houses every year through public-private partnership
- Grow the number of mortgages to one million
- Settlement Fund to acquire land and resettle up to one million landless families
4. Health Care
- Fully publicly financed primary healthcare
5. ICT & Creative Economy
- Construct 100,000 kilometre fiber optic connectivity network
- Roll out fibre to counties, villages, schools, over 24,000 businesses and homes
- Establish Africa Regional Hub and promote the development of Software for export
6. Infrastructure
- Complete all roads under construction
- Construct 700km road along the Isiolo-Kula, Mawe-Modogashe-Samatar-Wajir-Kutulo-Elwak-Ramu corridor
7. Education
- Pay for in-service teacher training
- Bridge current teacher shortage gap within two financial years
- Review the current exam-based system of academic progression and introduce alternative entry criteria
- Merge HELB, TVET and University Funding Board under a National Skill & Funding Council
- Set up a National Open University and implement 100 percent transition to higher education
- Increase funding to research and development institutions from 0.8 percent to 2 percent of GDP
8. Gender
- Two-thirds gender rule in elective and appointive positions in public sector, within 12 months
- 50 percent of cabinet positions for women.
- Ensure 100 percent enforcement of the spousal consent legal provisions in land transaction
9. Governance
- Complete the transfer of all functions constitutionally earmarked as devolved functions to counties within six months
- Strengthen the Office of the Attorney General
- Audit judicial liabilities and shortcomings within the first three months
- Strengthen police oversight and appoint an Ombudsman to focus on human rights violations of youth
- Appoint all judges nominated by JSC for appointment to the Court of Appeal within seven days
- Establish a Special Tribunal for Gross Human Rights Violations and Enforced Disappearances
- Timely and predictable transfer of sharable revenue to counties
10. Security services
- Contributory benevolent fund for families of fallen and terminal ill officers
- Insurance cover for loss of life on duty
- Review and improve pay for all officers in the security sector
