Halfway through his five-year term, President William Ruto has placed a four-page newspaper ad in the Daily Nation summarizing the accomplishments of his administration.
Although the government’s expenditure on the advertisement is unknown, full-page advertisements normally cost between Ksh800,000 and Ksh1 million per page. An estimated Ksh4 million was spent on the advertisement.
The commercial follows his harsh criticism of inadequate communication last year, which caused the administration to rethink its communication approach.
“Last year, we were accused of not communicating our achievements effectively,” said President Ruto, acknowledging previous critiques of his government’s poor communication. We are committed to making sure Kenyans are fully aware of the progress we are making, and this commercial is part of that commitment.
Under his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the advertisement, which was released on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, cites notable advancements in a number of areas, including the economy, health, education, and digital transformation.
The stabilization of Kenya’s economy, with GDP growth rising from 4.9% in 2022 to 5.6% in 2023 and inflation falling from 8.2% in September 2022 to 3.5% in February 2025, is the notice’s most notable accomplishment.
Ruto kept bringing up the exchange rate, claiming that it had calmed down to Ksh129.19 from Ksh160.8 in January 2024. The notice claims that these numbers demonstrate how effective strict monetary policies and lower food and energy costs have been in easing household financial distress.
As of February 2025, 12.7 million Kenyans were registered for Social Health Insurance (SHI), a 146.25 percent increase in membership, according to the government. 106,542 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have also received training and equipment. CHPs have visited more than 8.5 million homes, resulting in the early identification and treatment of conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
The administration claims that significant progress has also been made in the education sector, with 76,000 teachers hired and 16,000 junior secondary school classes connected. From 2.25 million students in 2022 to 2.6 million in 2025, the school feeding program has grown. Additionally, the government boosted the number of students enrolled in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs by 42%, from 340,131 in 2022 to 484,333 in 2025.
Ruto also emphasized the installation of 1,563 public Wi-Fi hotspots and 4,690 kilometers of fiber-optic connectivity.
The notification also notes the assistance for 605 artists to participate in foreign festivals, the training of 300 therapists under the County Theatre Fiesta Program, and the modernization of theaters and art institutions. The restoration of 308,098 historical files, or 37 terabytes, is also mentioned.
The advertisement also highlights the administration’s dedication to social protection and gender equality. There was a 92% rise in loans given to women’s organizations, and 2,554 groups received grants for socioeconomic development.
The number of older people getting social protection has increased by 66% as a result of the expansion of the Inua Jamii cash transfer program.
According to the government, Ksh4.4 billion has been set aside for affordable housing projects, and 24,232 jobs have been created in the construction industry. More Kenyans may now afford to become homeowners because to the increase in mortgages from 30,000 to one million.
