Ruto: My seven-point commitment to Kenyans if elected

DP William Ruto on Thursday committed himself to implementing seven key issues if elected president in August.

In his manifesto launch, Ruto said he will focus on the ‘people’ to turn around the Kenyan economy.

Here are some of his commitments to Kenyans:

To Provide adequate affordable working capital to farmers through well-managed farmer organisations. 

Deploy modern agricultural risk management instruments that ensure farming is profitable and income is predictable.

These instruments include crop and livestock insurance schemes, commodity market instruments such as forward contracts, futures contracts and price stabilisation schemes,” he said.

Transform 2 million poor farmers from a food deficit to surplus producers through input finance and intensive agricultural extension support.

This will be done with a target to generate a minimum productivity target of Sh50,000 revenue per acre 

Raise productivity of key value food chains (maize 8- 15bags/acre, dairy 2.5kg-7.5 kg per cow/day, beef carcass weight from 110kg-150kg)

Reduce dependence on basic food imports by 30 percent(domestic oil crops production from 5 percent to 25 percent, rice from 18 percent to 40percent)

Revamp underperforming/collapsed export crops while expanding emerging ones (coffee, cashew nuts, pyrethrum, avocado, macadamia nuts)

Boost tea value chain (blending & branding).

The manifesto is said to be an accumulation of people’s needs and solutions.

“They listened to the needs and aspirations, priorities and solutions as expressed and proposed by a cross-section of Kenyans in the agriculture and business sectors and among various interest groups,” Director of Communications Hussein Mohammed said.

"During these engagements, Kenyans expressed their views, shared their ideas and spoke of their hopes and expectations."

When Ruto unveiled his running mate,  Rigathi Gachagua on May 15, announced that his team had planned 45-day economic discussions in counties across Kenya.