The things William Ruto has promised Kenyans

President-elect William Ruto launched his five-point manifesto on June 30. Dubbed ‘The Plan’, Ruto said Kenya’s economic challenges require immediate attention and one of his priorities as President will be to revive the economy in a post-Covid era.

He said he will make a decisive break from the business-as-usual economic policies and carry out bold economic reforms in a coherent fashion, to accelerate job creation and leave no one 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
• Provideing 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)

.

Keep Reading

• Irene Masit's uphill task of clearing name after Chebukati bombshell
• Foreign server used to relay poll results, Raila claims
• Azimio raises storm over election results ahead of Kamukunji rally
• Changes for IEBC are about next elections not our next generation

• 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 per cent 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 per cent 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