President William Ruto has just finished a four-day state visit to China, whereby he had a successful engagement with President Xi Jinping and other key players in the road, rail, energy, water and ICT sectors of the economy.
The main aim of this state visit was to enhance collaboration and partnership between China and Kenya on key infrastructural developments, leveraging on new technologies and financing models. Pakistan has also shown interest in partnering with Kenya in the production of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
This state visit is very much a consequence of the prioritisation of the Big 5, as enshrined in The Plan's Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda, as the main vision of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Recently, the United Democratic Alliance held its first National Governing Council meeting at the Bomas of Kenya. This was historic noting that the party was formed less than two years to the general elections, and after the fall out within the then Jubilee Party.
For a party this young, it’s amazing that it went ahead to win the 2022, general election by producing a President, a Deputy, 20 governors, 32 senators, 128 MPs and 808 MCAs. It’s thus the biggest political party in Kenya and the anchor party within the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
This week, the party held its first National Management Committee meeting to help implement the resolutions of the NGC, as the party prepares for the inaugural grassroots elections to be held on December 9 this year.
In the September 29 NGC meeting three weeks ago, the party leader President William Ruto did a very astounding thing. He took time to account to the delegates of his sponsoring party, what his administration had achieved so far, within its one year in office.
It’s instructive to note that he was sworn in on September 13, and he named his Cabinet on September 27 last year. Such accountability is not only admirable but very critical in entrenching internal party democracy and good governance.
The party has since held its National Women’s Congress meeting addressed by the deputy party leader DP Rigathi Gachagua. A youth one is next, and a small working retreat for the Disability Congress is being prepared.
Recently, I had the privilege of delivering a sermon during the UDA’s staff’s weekly fellowship that happens every Wednesday morning led by the party’s chaplain, Bishop Robert Theuri.
The President’s report to the party highlighted that within one year, the cost of fertiliser had been reduced from Sh7,000 to Sh2,500 in order to subsidise production. The cost of seed had also been reduced and yellow maize for animal feed production had been made duty free.
On employment, the President elucidated his deliberate policy interventions for deliberate job creation through the enactment of bills and the creation of a fund. In one year, more than 70,000 houses were under construction, translating to 150,000 jobs for the youth. The target is to scale up to 200,000 houses per year.
On the digital superhighway, the fibre optic is being extended to cover all the 1,450 wards through the putting up of ICT hubs in collaboration with MPs and MCAs. Further, more than 22,000 computers are in the process of being distributed to all the subcounty Tvet institution across the country.
This will help between 300 and 500 youth par ward to access computer training, translating to at least 500,000 direct beneficiaries ready for the outsourcing of digital jobs that the President recently helped to negotiate in the US, with companies such as Amazon, Apple, Intel, Google etc at Silicon valley.
Further, he reported to the party that more than 25,000 hotspots are in the process of being created to enhance access to e-commerce not only markets for the Mama Mbogas but also to more than 5,000 government services online.
In addition, the President reported his target of increasing foreign exchange earnings through remittances by Kenyans in the diaspora from the current $4 billion to Sh10 billion dollars through the increased export of skilled and professional labour to the US, Germany, Canada, UAE and Saudi Arabia. Several bilateral agreements have been signed and are in the process of being implemented.
On education, the President highlighted the CBC enhancement and reforms roadmap, including the employment of more than 56,000 Kenyans as teachers. This is the highest single most of such recruitment in post-independence Kenya. There also exists a new funding model for university and tertiary education favouring the most vulnerable students in order to address access inequalities.
The HustlerFund is now fully operational, with more than 36 billion lent to more than 21 million Kenyans, with seven million of them conducting daily transactions monthly. The next face of group lending of up to one million shall be rolled out soon. Interest rates have since been reduced by 80 per cent and more than seven million Kenyans have been removed from the CRB.
The Universal Healthcare has also been rolled out with four bills already passed by parliament, including the reduction of the minimum monthly premium from Sh500 to Sh300 in order to increase coverage of the poorest households.
Preventive and promotive health through the onboarding of 100,000 Community Health Promoters, with each being in charge of 100 households is the single most structure aimed at addressing healthcare matters in the country since independence.
Such accountability at the political party level will go a long way in enhancing our unity across tribal and social strata, towards a commonly shared vision for a better Kenya.
The writer is the government spokesperson
