IN PICTURES: President Ruto's third State of the Nation Address

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi receive President William Ruto for the State of the Nation Address at Parliament on November 20,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

President William Ruto arrived at the Parliament Buildings, shortly after 2 PM, to a blend of military honours and parliamentary traditions for his third State of the Nation Address, a constitutional dictate.

The presidential motorcade, including police outriders, paced through city roads from his State House residence and negotiated corners as it made its way through Parliament Road which was cleared for the event.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi received the president and First Lady Rachel Ruto.

First Lady Rachel Ruto arrives for the State of The Nation Address at Parliament on November 20,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Also present were Chief Justice Martha Koome and military top brass,  among other senior government officials.

Chief Justice Martha Koome arrives for the State of The Nation Address at Parliament on November 20,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

President Ruto then proceeded to inspect a guard of honour mounted by the military after  short renditions of the Kenyans and East African Community anthems before being ushered into the parliament chambers.

President William Ruto, flanked by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, makes his  State of the Nation Address at Parliament on November 20,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Despite the heightened activity witnessed in the afternoon, the better part of the morning stood in stark contrast with little activity around parliament partly attributed to restrictions on movement.

Heavy security had been deployed and blockades installed on roads around parliament buildings.

Apart from military rehearsals, only arrivals of parliamentaries and invited dignitaries disrupted the loud calm.

Military officers rehearse a drill  ahead of the State of The Nation Address at Parliament on November 20,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Meanwhile, the Parliament Road roundabout was branded with the letters and numbers ‘SOTNA 2025’ acronyms for the address which have also been widely used for hashtags across social media platforms.

President Ruto was scheduled to address a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament from 2.30 PM to give Kenyans an update on the progress of national programmes, state of security, and fulfillment of obligations to the international community.

President William Ruto delivers his State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate on November 20,2025. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

While the event is often expected to be a bipartisan affair, a section of opposition lawmakers threatened to boycott the special sitting. Kalonzo Musyoka, a United Opposition leader, planned a media briefing to coincide with the President’s address.

Kenyans were able to follow the televised address across various media platforms even as many expressed varied expectations from the speech.

Victoria Adwet, a Kisumu resident, wants the government to establish a digital tracker to enable Kenyans monitor the delivery of various government programmes as opposed to a year’s wait for an update from the head of state.

“We don’t have to wait for November, or year end. We can adopt a database that tracks progress on delivery say on a monthly basis and address challenges promptly.”