President Ruto Declares Economic Turnaround, Unveils Sh5 Trillion Ambition in State of the Nation Address
News Updated: 20 November 2025 23:52 EAT
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President William Ruto on Thursday addressed a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate, delivering his 2025 State of the Nation Address.
The Head of State outlined his administration's achievements and progress across economic measures, governance commitments, and political highlights.
He declared a successful economic turnaround and challenged the nation to abandon a culture of "small thinking and ordinary expectations."
While acknowledging the turbulence of the past three years, the Head of State asserted that his administration has stabilized the economy and laid the foundation for future, self-funded prosperity.
He noted that the country's GDP has grown from $115 billion to $136 billion, moving Kenya to the 6th largest economy in Africa, an achievement he credited to his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The President heavily emphasized the theme of fiscal independence, detailing a decisive shift away from debt-driven growth.
He highlighted several key victories against economic strain: inflation has dropped to a 17-year low of 2.7%$ from 9.6% in 2022, and the successful redemption of Kenya's Eurobond was lauded as a boost to global confidence.
The Kenyan shilling has stabilized, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has reportedly tripled. To finance a massive Ksh 5 trillion infrastructure program, which includes building 50 mega dams to boost irrigation, extending the SGR to Kisumu, and growing power generation, Ruto announced the establishment of a National Infrastructure Fund and a Sovereign Wealth Fund to manage natural resource revenues, insisting Kenya will not return to heavy borrowing.
Ruto stated that his strategic shift from consumption subsidies to production support had delivered on the promise to address the high cost of living.
Through the subsidized fertilizer program, over 7.1 million farmers are now registered, receiving 21 million bags of fertilizer.
This intervention has led to projected bumper harvests, with maize output rising from 44 million bags in 2022 to an expected 70 million bags this year, seeing the price of a 2 kg packet of flour fall from Ksh 250 to as low as Ksh 130.
In the social sector, the president celebrated the advancement of key BETA pillars. He announced that the Social Health Authority (SHA) now has 27 million Kenyans registered, and the government is paying premiums for 2.3 million vulnerable citizens.
He also highlighted the impact of the Affordable Housing Program, which has a pipeline of 746,795 housing units and has created over 428,000 jobs, and the Hustler Fund, which has lent out over Ksh 80 billion, allowing seven million once-blacklisted Kenyans to repair their credit scores.
Beyond the economy, the address detailed major investments in healthcare and education.
The President announced an increase in the Cancer Benefits Package from Ksh 550,000 to Ksh 800,000 and lauded the 107,000 Community Health Promoters for their "extraordinary" impact. In education, his administration has hired 76,000 teachers with a target of 100,000 in three years, and TVET enrollment has risen sharply to 718,000.
Tags: President William Ruto 13Th Parliament State Of The Nation Senate Editor's Pick
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