President William Ruto will be addressing the nation from Parliament today as many Kenyans await to hear from the Head of State about how the nation is progressing.
President Ruto arrived in Parliament a few minutes to 2:30 PM, and he started by first inspecting the Guard of Honour outside Parliament precincts.
Ruto then met Speakers Moses Wetang'ula (National Assembly) and Amson Kingi (Senate), where he was briefed on the business of the Say (State of the Nation Address), where he will be heard in silence.
Today, the lawmakers will only be listening to the president's speech, and no debate on the speech will take place today until after four days.
2:42 PM : Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi leads a prayer session.
2:46 PM: Speaker Kingi and his National Assembly counterpart Wetangula confirm that the President State of the Nation Address was gazetted according.
"Accordingly, honourable members, this special sitting is properly convened," Kingi said.
"By way of a message, the President experessed his desire to address the House today, and by gazette notice published on November 18 and notified to members of parliament and the general public, I gave a notice of this special sitting, which is properly convened," Wetangula said.
Guests in the Speaker's Gallery
Speaker Mises Wetangula recognised some guests in the Speaker's gallery, they include First Lady Rachel Ruto and other members of the First family, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and his spouse, Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, Deputy CJ Lady Justice Philomena Mwilu, Justices Mohamed Ibrahim and William Ouko (Supreme Court), Justice Angote (Envornment Court), and former Speakers Kenneth Marende, Kenneth Lusaka, Ekwe Ethuro, and Justin Muturi.
Also there is a delegation from the Republic of Gambia, Council of Governor chairperson Governor Ahmed Abdilahi, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Head of Public Service Felix Kosgei.
Others include KDF and police bosses.
We are working on improving the lives of Kenyans: Ruto
"With utmost respect, and humility before this August assembly of the people’s elected representatives, I desire to respond to the most pressing concerns that have been raised by Kenyans of all walks of life in recent months," Ruto says.
"There are discussions about whether leaders understand the pain, hardship and struggles endured by countless citizens everyday as they strive to make ends meet and whether the government is doing anything about it."
"We have learned, through the hard and as well as the more customary ways, that listening is a full-time occupation of leadership and that all questions asked by the people must be answered thoroughly and in full."
Ruto: My cost of living milestone
1. The shilling has stabilised
"The shilling has stabilised appreciating from Sh162 in February 2024 to Sh129 today. A remarkable gain of 20%," Ruto said.
"This recovery has restored confidence in our financial markets and significantly reduced the cost of servicing external debt, creating physical space for our development imperatives."
2. Inflation has dropped from 9.6 to 2.7%
"Inflation has declined dramatically from 9.6% in September 2022 to 2.7% in October this year. The lowest rate in 17 years," Ruto said.
3. Foreign exchange reserve has surged to 9.5 billion
4. Interest rates ate also going down
5. Tax revenues have grown by 11%
6. Economy records 5.3% growth in 2023
Ruto: Borrowing is not an option; we must stop waste
The Head of State says Kenya has faced a crossroads of extremely difficult choices where defaulting on her obligations would have significantly worsened an already perilous situation and more borrowing was not an option.
"It was therefore essential for us to drastically reduce expenditure and mobilise, as much as possible, resources domestically and curtail the waste," Ruto says.
President Ruto: SHA will pay all October claims in full by next week.
"Our healthcare system has historically neglected the poor and vulnerable. This is what we want to correct through Universal Health Coverage. We established SHA and SHIF to ensure challenges facing Kenyans are addressed."
Ruto cancels Adani Deal
The head of state officially announced the suspension of the procurement and expansion deal between Kenya and Indian conglomerate Adani and the recently signed multi-billion shillings deal with Ketraco by the same firm.
Reactions
MP Kuria Kimani on cancellation of the Adani deal: "This is a great welcome because it means the views of the public are taken seriously. This means the tweets and TikTok videos by Kenyans are being heard. This great move is welcome."
MP Philip Kaguchia on Adani deal: "The moment Adani has been indicted in America, it means Kenya cannot work with it again. What the president has done is in anticipation of any backlash from the US but in future we should not sign these kinds of deals again, and now our airport is safe."
CS Aden Duale: "The direction of the President on Adani is a very clear signal on the President's war on corruption. Public-private partnership is not new in Kenya, so we can still go back to do due diligence and get a reputable firm because we must fix our airport and power production issues."