President William Ruto has said cooperation among leaders in the broad-based government has made it easier to implement national programmes and push forward reforms that had remained unresolved for years.
The President spoke on Friday evening at an Iftar dinner held at State House in Mombasa, where Muslim leaders and government officials gathered for the Ramadan meal. During his address, Ruto said unity in leadership had created the momentum needed to drive the country’s development agenda.
“Three years down the road, we have something to celebrate and to thank God for. Don’t underestimate what unity, what people coming together can do,” Ruto said.
He explained that the cooperation within government had allowed the administration to take bold steps on major projects, including the establishment of the National Infrastructure Fund and efforts to mobilise development funds through public investment initiatives.
“We would not be talking about the National Infrastructure Fund. If there were no broad-based government, we would not. Let me just say so that you know, we would not have had the capacity to even raise resources using the Kenya Pipeline IPO or the Safaricom process. It would not have been possible. It’s because of unity,” he stated.
To emphasise his message, the President cited the Swahili phrase “Umoja ni nguvu,” which means unity is strength, saying cooperation among leaders has helped deliver results that had proved difficult in previous administrations.
He noted that the Kenya Pipeline IPO had been planned years earlier but had not been implemented until now. According to the President, the proposal was first prepared during the administration of Mwai Kibaki and later pursued during the Jubilee government, but the current broad-based government was able to carry it through.
“That shows you the power of unity,” he added.
Ruto said the government’s ability to move forward with such initiatives also reflects the willingness of leaders to make bold choices while working together toward shared goals.
“We have tried to do many things in the past, but we were not able because we didn’t have the courage to do them, and we didn’t have the unity to drive it. Today, we thank God that we have a leadership that has the courage to make the decisions that will change the destiny of our nation. But we also have the unity of purpose in the broad-based government to make sure that we execute it. And Kenya, friends, is going to change,” he said.
The President also used the event to address the issue of equal access to government services, saying the administration is working to correct past injustices that denied some citizens their rights.
He said access to documents such as identity cards and passports should never be treated as a favour from the government but as a right guaranteed to every Kenyan.
“All we are doing is correcting the injustices of the past, righting the wrongs that have been meted out against fellow citizens because of prejudices. Whatever we are doing, the positions you have today in government, the rights you have today, they are not favors. They are rights because you are entitled to them as all the other citizens of Kenya are entitled to them,” he said.
Ruto ended his remarks by urging Kenyans to continue supporting unity and collective action as the country works toward growth and development.
“Together, we are stronger. Together, we can go places. Together, we can go places,” Ruto said.