Ruto praises dialogue team, pledges to act on report

President William has expressed his support for the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, which was unveiled on Saturday, November 25, with a number of recommendations to address the challenges facing the country.

Speaking on Sunday, November 26, during a church service in Kahawa West in Nairobi, the President said he had seen the report and was satisfied with its proposals.

“I want to congratulate all the teams that were involved in the dialogue process; they have come up with the recommendations, and I have seen the recommendations, and they are in a good state,” he said.

He added that he would implement the recommendations that fall under the Executive and urged Parliament to do the same for the Legislative ones.

“All the recommendations are made and are practical, and we are going to work on the recommendations to reduce the areas they have recommended and to do whatever they have recommended in Parliament. Those that belong to the executive, I’ll execute without any delay,” he said.

The President also called on Kenyans to unite and work together to build the country and improve the living standards of its citizens.

“The job of the rest of us as Kenyans is to unite and move together into the future to build our country and the unity of citizens of our country and to work so that we can grow jobs and enhance production productivity so that we can reduce the cost of living and create opportunities for Kenyans to be their best,” he said.

The NADCO report, which was presented by the committee co-chairs Kimani Ichungwa and Kalonzo Musyoka, contains a number of proposals, including electoral reforms, cost of living reduction, entrenchment of funds, and establishment of state offices.

However, the report also acknowledges that there are some issues that the committee could not agree on and has referred them to the leadership of the two coalitions, Kenya Kwanza and Azimio, for further deliberation.

Some of the contentious issues include the reduction of VAT on fuel, the scrapping of the housing levy, and the creation of the Office of Prime Minister.

On the fidelity of the law on multiparty democracy, NADCO has recommended the establishment of the Independent Political Parties Regulatory Commission as an independent body that shall be responsible for the registration of political parties and their office holders and the management of political parties’ funds, a role currently vested in the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

The report has been shared electronically with President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga for their endorsement.