Ruto Defends Reform Agenda, Pushes Productivity Drive and Warns Against Violent Demonstrations
News Updated: 19 June 2026 19:00 EAT
President William Samoei Ruto speaking at the National Productivity and Performance Conference, Kenya School of Government in Nairobi.
President William Ruto has defended his administration’s development agenda and urged Kenyans to embrace productivity, innovation and national unity, saying economic transformation will depend on discipline, efficient public service and responsible use of technology.
Speaking during a national productivity forum, the President said Kenya must position itself to benefit from technological change and avoid becoming a passive consumer in the digital economy.
Referring to recent conversations around artificial intelligence and digital adoption, Ruto said the country should use technology to expand opportunities in commerce, education, agriculture and government service delivery.
“We are not going to be mere consumers of technology platforms. We must be co-creators, and we must begin as a country to appropriate the space around technology and how we can use it for commerce, for learning, for delivery of public service, for agriculture, for trade and for investment,” the President said.
Ruto said technological advancement alone would not guarantee national progress unless accompanied by institutional culture and disciplined implementation.
“But while technology may accelerate performance, culture sustains it. Technology serves people, it does not replace them. That is why we will embed Kaizen, the discipline of continuous improvement, at every level, built on a singular question: How can we do better today than we did yesterday?” he said.
The President urged county governments to adopt productivity frameworks and strengthen benchmarking mechanisms, arguing that citizens should experience improved outcomes in sectors including health, water, agriculture and early childhood education.
According to Ruto, government reforms will increasingly focus on measurable results, stronger human capital and linking public rewards to productivity while ensuring value for taxpayers.
Turning to economic policy, the President said Kenya must significantly increase domestic resource mobilisation and reduce dependence on external financing to accelerate development.
“We will harness technology under a one-government, data-driven approach, and we will build the governance and financing necessary to sustain delivery. We can move our revenue as a percentage of GDP further because we cannot transform this country if we do not deliberately mobilise our own resources,” he said.
The Head of State pointed to housing, market construction and student accommodation projects as examples of investments he said demonstrate the country’s ability to finance strategic priorities internally.
Ruto argued that Kenya should reject acceptance of underperformance and aim for higher standards of growth and economic competitiveness.
“There is absolutely no reason why Kenya is where we are today when our peers are in the first world. We have too many people living in difficult conditions, too many without jobs and too many sleeping hungry. We cannot continue this way. We have to change,” he said.
The President also appealed for greater national confidence and unity, saying development requires collective effort and belief in national institutions.
“If there is a problem in Kenya, let us fix it. We must protect our country, focus on development and never allow things that take Kenya backwards,” he said.
On civic freedoms, Ruto maintained that constitutional rights including protest and petition must be protected, but stressed that such freedoms should coexist with the rights of others.
“It is right for every citizen who has an issue to petition or to protest, and we must protect that right. But we must also protect the right of children to go to school, farmers to produce food, workers to go to work and businesses to operate,” he said.
The President warned against demonstrations turning violent and said security agencies would act against criminal conduct and destruction of property.
“The one thing that is not going to happen is that people will be mobilized to destroy property or to cause chaos or mayhem. Children will go to school because it is their right, workers will go to work and businesses will remain open so that we continue moving the nation forward,” he said.
Ruto also called for an end to divisive politics and urged leaders to promote cohesion and shared national goals.
“Tuache ukabila, tuache fitina na chuki. Sote tunaweza kufaulu kama taifa moja. We are one people with a common destiny and we must work together,” he said.
On accountability for previous protest-related incidents, the President reiterated support for compensation efforts targeting affected families and individuals as part of national healing and reconciliation.
Closing his remarks, Ruto said Kenya’s ambitions would ultimately depend on productivity and sustained reform rather than the passage of time.
“The distance between where we stand today and where we aspire to be will not be measured by time. It will be measured by productivity. If we commit ourselves to that task, Kenya can transform within our lifetime,” he said.
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FELIX MAKONA
FACT FINDER AND DATA DRIVEN JOURNALIST. DATA MINING AT IT'S BEST. GET FACTS RANGING FROM MATTERS DISABILITY AND INCLUSION, POLITICS, ECONOMY, SPORTS AND GENERAL NEWS AROUND THE WORLD