President William Ruto has cautioned Kenyans to be wary of disinformation aimed at sabotaging development, undermining democracy and destabilising the country.
According to Ruto, the fake news perpetrators are only in pursuit of sectarian political interests, insisting that this is where most of the opposition against his administration comes from.
He called on critics to stop misleading the public and instead engage in discussions based on facts and the truth.
“We are at the stage in social development when digital technologies have immense capacity to amplify disinformation, magnify fake news and distort facts beyond all recognition,” Ruto said during the Jamhuri Day Celebrations held at Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Museum.
“If we give in to these emerging negative trends, we shall pay with our freedom, democracy and development.”
Ruto, however, noted that despite the falsehoods about the country’s development agenda, the results are evident.
He said the government has laid a solid foundation for inclusive economic transformation.
“We are no longer where we were a year, let alone two years ago. We have moved beyond pledges and commitments and are now making progress with our implementation strategies,” he said.
“When we say that the cost of basic food commodities has come down, it is a fact. When we say that inflation has gone down, it is a fact. When we say that our farmers are producing more and better, it is a fact and, when we say that Kenyans who have registered for Taifa Care are receiving better services than before, it is a fact.”
The President explained that the strategies implemented to address unemployment, healthcare and food security are delivering tangible results.
President Ruto said job creation is a central pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, disclosing that 200,000 jobs have been created in the Affordable Housing Programmes, while 243,000 Kenyans have secured international jobs since September 2022.
