President William Ruto has defended his administration’s ambitious commitments, dismissing claims that his government overpromised during the campaign period.
Speaking at the Third National Executive Retreat held at KCB Leadership Centre in Kajiado County, Ruto remained defiant about his administration’s ability to deliver on its manifesto pledges.
The two-day meeting is designed to take stock of the Government’s delivery of the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda implemented so far.
“We promised a lot, but we will deliver,” President Ruto declared during his address to the retreat participants.
Ruto acknowledged that the journey toward national transformation has not been smooth, describing it as challenging and requiring tough choices from his administration.
He emphasized that his government remains committed to building synergies that will accelerate Kenya’s economic growth, dismissing any suggestions that he might scale back on his promises.
“I have no intention whatsoever of escaping any of the commitments we made,” Ruto said.
Ruto revealed that some advisers had suggested he should have postponed tackling difficult issues until a potential second term, but he rejected this approach.
”I have even had occasion, people telling me, I have picked up too many things, especially the difficult ones. You would have waited for your 2nd term. We have been timid about what needs to be done in Kenya,” he explained.
“Our focus is not the next election. Our focus is the transformation of Kenya,” Ruto added.
Addressing critics who accuse his administration of making unrealistic promises, President Ruto maintained that all commitments were achievable and well-documented.
“The accusation I often get is that we overpromised. But I want to tell you that we did not overpromise, we promised what is doable,” he asserted.
The President pointed to his administration’s manifesto as evidence of the feasibility of their commitments, expressing confidence in his government’s ability to deliver.
“All the commitments we made to the people of Kenya are documented in the manifesto, and I am very clear in my mind that we will be able to deliver on that manifesto successfully to be able to earn the correct marks,” Ruto concluded.
Ruto assured that the allocation of affordable housing units will be fair to all Kenyans and no citizen will be discriminated against, saying that the allocation of the units will be done transparently to ensure that many Kenyans benefit.
President Ruto assured residents that they would be given the first priority in the allocation of the units.
“Rest assured that you will be given the first priority to own the houses before considering other Kenyans,” he said.
Some of the pinching points in the Ruto administrations are the levies made under the affordable housing plan.
Inspecting progress of the Kibera Soweto East Zone B Affordable Housing Project in Kibra Constituency, Nairobi, on Friday, 23 May 2025, President Ruto said: “I give you my assurance that allocations will not be done on an ethnic basis. All deserving Kenyans will benefit equally because we want to build a united country.”
In the health sector, Ruto said 23.3 million Kenyans have already registered with SHA, with 93,251 registering on Monday, June 9, 2025.
He also added that data from the Social Health Authority (SHA) shows that Kenyans have embraced the new universal healthcare scheme, saying that SHA is now touching the lives of many Kenyans and assured them that the provision of healthcare will only get better.
“Kenyans have started to see that SHA is paying bills for people around them,” he said.
President William Ruto rebranded the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) to Taifa Care late last year, underscoring its fundamental role in providing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to all Kenyans.
He expressed confidence in the model to provide effective and efficient service to the public, adding that the repealed National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) only served a few salaried Kenyans at the expense of the majority who could not afford it.
“Under Taifa Care, citizens are eligible for all services upon registration. I urge every Kenyan to take the most important step in securing dependable healthcare for themselves and their families: register now or at the earliest opportunity,” Ruto remarked.
