Three priorities to propel Kenya to attain first-world status –Ruto

President William Ruto has laid out an ambitious roadmap to propel Kenya toward first-world status within the current generation.

The President has identified food security, value addition and manufacturing, and infrastructure development as the three core priorities of his administration.

Speaking during Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kitui Stadium, the President rallied Kenyans to set “daring and audacious goals” and pursue them with unwavering commitment, emphasising that national transformation requires unity and inclusivity beyond political affiliations.

“It is this very conviction that has guided my engagements with leaders and stakeholders from across the political divide,” Ruto said.

“I have consulted my former boss, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, and engaged MPs, governors, and grassroots leaders across the country. Kenya’s progress must never be a partisan pursuit; it is a national, inclusive mission.”

Ruto warned that Kenya’s over-reliance on food imports — costing the country over Sh500 billion annually — is not just economically unsustainable, but a serious threat to national sovereignty.

“We cannot speak of prosperity while importing basic foodstuffs like maize, wheat, rice, sugar, and edible oils,” he said.

To reverse this trend, the government plans to modernize agriculture through irrigation, aiming to bring at least 2 million acres under irrigation by constructing 50 mega dams countrywide.

Ruto said rain-fed farming is no longer viable in meeting the needs of a growing population and a developing economy.

Kenya must shift from being a consumer economy to a production-driven one, Ruto declared.

This involves moving away from exporting raw materials and becoming a country that exports finished goods, creating jobs and wealth across all regions.

He highlighted the Africa Growth and Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), through which Kenya — in partnership with the African Export-Import Bank — is establishing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Vipingo, Dongo Kundu, Naivasha, and other strategic areas.

“These zones will host textile, agro-processing, assembly, and light manufacturing industries, creating tens of thousands of jobs,” Ruto noted.

Ruto announced sweeping infrastructure projects to enhance connectivity and economic integration.

His administration aims to dual at least 1,000 kilometers of key highways, including; Rironi–Nakuru–Mau Summit–Eldoret–Malaba, Makutano–Embu–Meru, Kitengela–Namanga, Mombasa–Nairobi and Marua–Nanyuki–Isiolo

Additionally, he pledged the construction of 10,000 kilometers of new tarmac roads to link producers to markets and spur rural development.

On rail transport, Ruto committed to completing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension from Naivasha to Kisumu and Malaba, opening up access to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC, thereby anchoring Kenya in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework. 

The President added that these projects may seem too ambitious, perhaps even out of reach but this is precisely where bold, visionary, and heroic leadership comes into play, “the kind that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga embodied.”