President William Ruto has hit out at his critics, dismissing them as pessimists who offer no alternatives while attempting to undermine Kenya's economic progress.
Speaking during the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, November 20, the President defended his administration's achievements, stating that global economic assessors and market sentiment affirm that Kenya's economy is strengthening.
"The world's most respected economic assessors, and market sentiment, are affirming what we already know: that our economy is strengthening, our prospects are brightening, and confidence in Kenya is rising," Ruto declared.
The President took direct aim at his detractors, characterizing them as perpetual naysayers who criticize without offering constructive solutions.
"Our critics, the high priests of eternal pessimism, who criticise without responsibility and tear down without offering alternatives, will want you to believe that our economy is going in the wrong direction," he stated.
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Ruto emphasized that while everyone is entitled to their opinion in a democracy, facts cannot be manufactured to serve personal agendas.
"But while anyone may speak their mind, and that is the beauty of our democracy, no one is entitled to manufacture self-serving falsehoods and traffic them as facts," the President said.
He insisted that the facts he was presenting were ‘clear, verifiable, and indisputable,’ challenging critics to base their arguments on reality rather than speculation.
On the affordable housing initiative, President Ruto recounted how skeptics had dismissed the project at various stages of its development.
"Three years ago, when we said we would deliver affordable housing, the cynics dismissed it as a fantasy. When they realised we were serious, they called it impossible. And when we broke ground across the country, they suggested that the projects would stall," he narrated.
The President noted that public perception has shifted dramatically, with Kenyans now asking how they can access the housing units rather than whether the project would succeed.
"Today, those doubts have given way to a very different question from Kenyans everywhere: How do I get one of those units?" Ruto stated.
The Head of State also highlighted Kenya's economic growth, noting that the country has moved from being the eighth largest economy in Africa three years ago to the sixth largest on the continent.
"Three years ago, Kenya was ranked the eighth largest economy in Africa with a GDP of $115 billion. Today, our GDP has increased to $136 billion, moving us up to become the sixth largest economy on the continent, according to IMF," he announced.
President Ruto challenged Kenyans to adopt a mindset of excellence rather than settling for mediocrity.
"We must cast off the prevailing mindset of being content with the average; we must step beyond the comfort of the familiar and the ordinary, and reach, with courage, clarity, and conviction, for nothing less than excellence and greatness," he urged.
The State of the Nation Address also touched on education reforms, with the President noting that his administration moved quickly to restore the sector as a great equalizer through the student-centered funding model and scholarships.
"When I assumed office, our education sector was in distress with a strained CBC transition, a chronic teacher deficit. We moved quickly to restore education as the great equalizer through the student-centered funding model, scholarships. Loans and grants follow need, placing the learner at the center," Ruto explained.
The President's remarks come amid ongoing debate about the state of Kenya's economy, with opposition figures and economic analysts offering varying assessments of the country's fiscal health and development trajectory.
