Kenyan President William Ruto recently addressed parliament, highlighting his administration’s progress and unveiling a new KSh5 trillion development plan. Africa Check examined ten key claims made by Ruto during his speech and found mixed results.
Ruto asserted that Kenya was on par with Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian countries in 1963, the year Kenya gained independence. However, World Bank data on population, GDP, GDP per capita, life expectancy, and manufacturing’s share of GDP show significant differences between Kenya and those Asian economies at that time.
Regarding inflation, Ruto’s claim that it has slowed is accurate: the rate fell from 9.2 % in September 2022 to 4.6 % in October 2025. His statement that the Kenyan shilling has been stable for nearly two years is exaggerated; the currency has actually remained stable for 17 months.
Ruto’s agricultural claims were largely incorrect. He said maize production had increased, but national statistics do not support this. His figures for tea earnings and sugarcane production were also inaccurate. Contrary to his claim of a 70 % decrease, sugar imports rose by 5.8 % from 2022 to 2024.
In the education sector, the administration has made measurable progress. The Teachers Service Commission reported that 76 000 teachers had been employed as of December 2024, and the national treasury confirmed that 71 000 teachers were hired between 2022 and 2025. Ruto’s claim about the growth of the education budget is mostly correct, with allocations rising from KSh 489 billion in 2020/21 to KSh 702.7 billion in 2025.
Overall, while Ruto’s administration has achieved some advances, his statements require careful verification. As Kenya moves forward with its development plan, reliance on verifiable data and facts is essential for informed decision‑making and accountability.
Comments are closed for this story.