Give President William Ruto Credit where it's due

By Joseph Lister Nyaringo

  In any democracy, voters make decisions based on the promises candidates make during the campaigns. Like all new leaders in office the world over, President William Ruto, faces the challenge of managing expectations from Kenyans who voted for him in 2022.

After clocking one year in office, President Ruto, has managed to do great things for the Kenyan people even as he continues to guide the nation on how and when he will implement developmental initiatives as stipulated in his 2022 manifesto.

During last year’s presidential campaigns, Ruto’s rallying call was centred on lifting the standard of living for Kenyans in the lower economic pyramid if he became President. This campaign strand is what became popularly known as the “bottom-up” economic model.

Nevertheless, for a President with a five-year term in office, one year is not enough to gauge his performance. However, in Kenya’s politicized environment, it’s easy to decipher a few developmental programs Ruto, has put in place to realize his agenda for the nation.

Despite the numerous challenges facing Kenya, President Ruto’s scorecard has many positive reflections. A continuation of this trajectory will automatically bring about socio-economic transformation to the country under his presidency.

In the international scene, the Kenyan President is seen as focused, assertive, creative, and well-versed in geopolitics. Within a span of one year in office, the United States and Europe value Ruto as an emerging African leader with ideas which resonate well for Kenya and Africa, in the 21st Century.

Within one year of the Ruto presidency, Kenya has experienced unprecedented visits from many global leaders; depicting him as a key player in shaping the global economy, politics, diplomacy, climatic change, peacebuilding,  and fighting extremism.

By hosting the Global Summit on Climatic Change in Nairobi where over 12,000 delegates congregated, the President demonstrated his capacity to promote intra-Africa linkages with Western powers to enhance trade, investment, education, and technology.  

On matters of Diaspora, Kenyans living abroad are buoyant about the creation of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. They believe that the Ministry will streamline the aspirations of the Diaspora as well as address their predicaments. It must be remembered that the Kenyan Diaspora plays an immense role in economic development through remittances, direct investment, and philanthropy.  

The current government has scored highly on expanding Information Communication Technology (ICT) which is headed by Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Eliud Owalo. The recent opening of Open University of Kenya (OUK) by President Ruto, is a silver bullet in technological advancement. Kenya is now in the league of other nations with full-fledged virtual learning. Besides, this first virtual learning institution in the country will promote Konza Technopolis.

The President’s recent visit to Silicon Valley in California, US to lure American technology companies to invest in Kenya is salutary in the promotion of Silicon Savannah, which is Kenya’s emerging technology hub.

By consolidating 5,000 government services to a single-pay bill number, the current government killed two birds using one stone…This concept will cut government costs, combat fraud, and enhance efficiency and accountability when conducting government-public transactions.  

Let us give credit where it’s due. President Ruto’s CS for information and communication and digital economy, Eliud Owalo, has aggressively done a commendable job of digitalizing the country. The pilot program of installing free WiFi connections in market centres to benefit the general public is a masterstroke to boost communication and enable Kenyan youth to access online opportunities free of charge.

The area that Ruto’s government must focus on is putting systems in place to conduct government meetings virtually to cut costs. Critics say the recent meetings held in Kakamega and Sagana State lodges were not cost-effective.

Even the annual devolution symposium held two months ago in Eldoret should have accommodated only a lean number of delegates and have the majority of participants from the County and National government attend the meeting virtually.  

President Ruto has carried himself with a soft demeanour. He is more versatile, and his responses are more measured and statesmanly. Despite talking tough on the fight against graft i.e., sugar cartels, and hitting at the political opposition, Ruto doesn’t sound abrasive like he used to when he was deputy President.

By ignoring the narrative purveyed by his deputy Rigati Gachagua, of comparing the Kenyan government to “a shareholding company,” Ruto has demonstrated visionary leadership if his words during a tour of Luo Nyanza are something to go by.

On the other hand, by supporting bipartisan talks headed by Kikuyu member of Parliament Kimani Ichungwa and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, the President has helped to scale down high-voltage politics. The sum total of this is enhancing unity, peace, and cohesiveness in the country.

Despite his tax model attracting a lot of condemnation, what Kenyans must remember is that all is not rosy even in the developed world. For instance, having been in Kenya for over sixteen months, my return to the United States two weeks ago surprised me.

Kenya is not alone on the impact of high inflation…The Americans are crying too. The cost of food has spiked by almost 14%. A bottle of Pepsi Cola which used to cost $1.50, now goes for  $3.70. The prices of other basic items like sugar, bread, eggs, and meat have increased tremendously.

In the fight against graft, the purge in the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) over Kshs. 3.7 billion mosquito net deal by the President is laudable. He fired Public Health permanent Secretary Dr Josephine Mburu.

A similar purge happened in the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) over the dirty sugar scandal where Managing Director Bernard Njiraini and Director of Quality Assurance Dr Geoffrey Muriira lost their jobs. This demonstrates the President's commitment to fighting corruption which is a big impediment towards economic development.

According to Professor Charles Choti of Washington DC, fertilizer subsidies provided to farmers by the Ruto government have not only provided farmers with financial relief but have also boosted the farmers’ morale. This will in turn ensure a steady supply of food for the nation.

Professor Choti further argues that extending government subsidies to farmers is one way of reducing unemployment in the country since many Kenyans tarmacking for unavailable jobs will embark on farming to earn a livelihood.

While the Ruto administration has done well to support farmers with fertilizers, it is high time his government looked into the concept of supporting farmers with insurance to mitigate risks and uncertainties, especially livestock keepers in pastoralist communities.

The Ministry of Trade should take the lead in helping farmers with product marketing as well as supporting farmers in semi-arid regions to construct boreholes and artificial dams to help with irrigation and watering the animals.

Lister Nyaringo, is the President of Kenya Patriotic Movement, a Diaspora lobby based in the US