The President said the Kenyan diaspora, which remitted $5 billion (KSh650 billion) last year, has a huge role to play in propelling the country’s growth.
During a meeting with Kenyans living in Qatar, at the sidelines of the UN Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha on Tuesday evening, President Ruto said: “It disturbs me that Kenya can be a great nation, but we are not moving.”
He noted that Kenyans are appreciated and recognised for their good work ethic across the global, a trait which he said should be put to use to develop the country.
“I met His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, and he told me Kenyans are very good people, who are contributing to Qatar’s economy. But who says you good people cannot contribute to our economy? Let me persuade you that we can do so ourselves,” he said.
Present were Prime Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, and Principal Secretaries, among others.
The President told the meeting that he had met the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former President Uhuru Kenyatta and shared with them his vision on how to radically transform Kenya.
He appraised the meeting of the development progress at home, saying Kenya is making notable strides across all sectors of the economy.
“In 2023, we had people on the streets with sufurias on their heads because the price of unga had reached KSh250. They have since left,” he said.
He explained that this had been achieved through reforms in the agricultural sector, mainly by subsiding production as opposed to consumption.
Planning for this, he pointed out, was made possible by registering farmers to get accurate data on the number and the kind of farming they engage in.
Additionally, he said the digitisation of fertiliser and seeds distribution had removed cartels and middlemen, who had long taken advantage of farmers’ sweat.
Similarly, he informed the meeting that due to reforms in the sugar sector, production has improved from 600,000 metric tonnes in 2023 to 815,000 tonnes in 2024, and is projected to hit a million tonnes next year.
By 2028, President Ruto explained, Kenya will be a net exporter of sugar.
The President said he was happy to see many Kenyans working in Qatar and earning livelihoods to support themselves and their families back home.
“You feel a sense of pride when you see citizens of your country in different places of the world,” he said.
He said the government will review the cost of sending money back home downwards, which now stands between 5 and 7 per cent of the amount being remitted.
“I have instructed the Central Bank of Kenya to work with the International Association of Money Transfer Networks so that we can find a much more cost-effective mechanism of sending money back home,” he said.
The President commended the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, under Principal Secretary Rosline Njogu, for creating a better relationship between Kenyans in the diaspora and government through proactive engagement.
Mr Mudavadi commended Kenyans in for diaspora for playing a crucial role in stabilising the Kenyan economy, and praised them for carrying out their duties abroad with diligence.
“We are getting less and less incidences of Kenyans violating laws in other countries. By and large, the reputation of Kenyans is very good across the globe,” he said.
Dr Omar Farah, the chairman of Kenyans living in Qatar, said they are ready to partner with the government to drive Kenya’s economic growth.
“We are not asking to be remembered; we are asking to be included. We are not asking for favours; we are offering partnership. We are not just Kenyans abroad; we are Kenya abroad,” he said.
