- On health, Uhuru said that his tenure has seen a 400 per cent growth in the number of Kenyans insured under NHIF.
- Today, we have 17.1 million Kenyans insured compared to 4.4 million insured as at April, 2013,.
Image: DPPS
President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday leveraged Madaraka Day fete to enumerate his scorecard as he presided over his last national event before he retires in August.
Speaking at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi where the national event was held, Uhuru boasted that his administration has built more roads than what the three previous governments combined, did.
“In fact, we have built more roads in nine years than what the previous administrations combined, and that is the truth whether they like it or not,” he said.
The President disclosed that while his predecessor former President Mwai Kibaki’s administration built 2,000km, his government has done over 11,000km-nearly six times.
“Our world-class infrastructure, from iconic elevated expressways to floating bridges, have put Kenya on the global map,” he said at the national event held at the newly refurbished gardens.
Besides roads, the president said his tenure has seen massive investments in infrastructure including dams and railway, putting the country on the global map and spurring economic growth.
“We made tenfold investments in water sector to accord every Kenyan household the dignity of access to water and sanitation,” he said.
Among the dams built by the government are Thiba Dam in Kirinyaga, Yamo Dam in Samburu, Thwake Dam in Makueni, Mwache Dam at the Coast and Soin Koru Dan in Kisumu.
Uhuru said they also made transformations in health, security, agriculture and education and instituted reforms in all sectors, including land, through what he termed as four legacy frames.
"In just nine years, we have moved from being the 12th largest economy in Africa, to being the 6th largest economy and growing.
"We have almost tripled the wealth of our nation from a GDP of Sh4.5 trillion in 2013, to close to Sh13 trillion currently," he said.
On health, Uhuru said his tenure has seen a 400 per cent growth in the number of Kenyans insured under NHIF.
“Today, we have 17.1 million Kenyans insured compared to 4.4 million insured as at April, 2013,” he said.
The government has also constructed additional 1,912 healthcare facilities across the country representing a 43 per cent increase in the total number of public health facilities.
Over the nine year period, the country’s ICU capacity has increased by 502 per cent from 651 ICU. Country’s total bed capacity has also increased from 56,069 in 2013 to 82,291 currently.
“For 50 years, the entire country was served by only six renal units that provided dialysis for kidney patients.
But in only nine years, we have built 54 renal units in the 47 counties and installed 360 state of the state dialysis machines,” he said.
The president divulged his government has retooled security organs and made them capable to respond to contemporary security challenges thus silencing the wave of terror attacks in the country.
The Jubilee administration, he reckoned has also anchored devolution by sending Sh2.244 trillion since 2013 to spur growth in the rural areas.
“In realising equitable development through devolution, it was my distinct honour to be the president who received, fostered and gave impetus to the devolved system of governance,” he said.
Uhuru said his administration also brought about the 100 per cent primary to secondary education transition and introduced the competency based curriculum to replace the obsolete 8-4-4 system.
Jubilee also turnaround university and tertiary education by building more technical training institutes.
“Where there stood only 52 institutions in 2013, today we are home to 238 institutions, representing 435 per cent growth. With this transformation, every Kenyan child has a chance,” he said.
The government has also reformed Ardhi House by eliminating manual registry with an automated one thus fading away fraud and corruption that has rocked the sector.
On Agriculture, Uhuru said his administration has ring-fenced and grown the country’s traditional exports of tea, coffee and horticulture nearly doubling earnings from the produce.
“The coffee rates for 2022 are out and we have nearly doubled earning made by coffee farmers from an average of Sh60 per kg of cherry in 2013 to Sh110-125 per kg today.”
“Tea earnings from export rose by 20 per cent from Sh114 billion in 2013 to Sh136 billion in 2021. In the last nine years, over Sh454 billion has been paid out to small holder tea farmers,” he added.