NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto on Thursday launched Kenya’s first comprehensive national policy aimed at protecting and empowering ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples and marginalised communities, pledging to turn long-standing constitutional promises into enforceable action.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during the commemoration of the International Day for Minority Rights, Ruto said the Cabinet had approved the National Policy on Ethnic Minorities, Indigenous and Marginalised Communities (2025–2035), describing it as a “transformative blueprint” to operationalise Article 56 of the Constitution.
“For far too long, the constitutional promise of protection and inclusion for minorities has lacked a coherent and enforceable framework,” the President said. “Today, we move from recognition to action, and from promise to delivery.”
The policy establishes a Minorities and Marginalised Communities Directorate within the Executive Office of the President and provides for the creation of a National Council for Ethnic Minorities and Marginalised Communities through legislation.
The new structures are intended to coordinate government action and ensure minority concerns are represented across ministries and county governments.
Ruto said the policy introduces affirmative action quotas in public service and procurement, alongside targeted investments in education, including mobile schools for nomadic communities, affirmative admission to tertiary institutions and expanded vocational training.
To address political exclusion, the President said the government will pursue legislation under Article 100 of the Constitution and amend electoral laws to guarantee inclusive nominations and representation in Parliament and county assemblies.
Land rights also feature prominently in the policy, with commitments to accelerate the issuance of community land titles, establish a digital registry to protect ancestral territories and fast-track the implementation of court rulings on historical land injustices, including cases affecting communities such as the Ogiek.
Ruto said the policy further safeguards cultural heritage by protecting sacred sites, revitalising endangered languages and integrating indigenous knowledge and histories into the national curriculum.
Recognising the compounded vulnerabilities faced by women, youth, persons with disabilities and elders within minority communities, the policy provides for universal birth registration, disability-inclusive infrastructure, targeted social protection and stronger measures to combat gender-based violence.
On climate change, the government committed to allocating at least 30 per cent of county climate funds to community-led adaptation initiatives, while protecting pastoral mobility corridors and incorporating indigenous knowledge into national climate action.
To expand access to justice, the policy proposes mobile courts and legal aid centres in remote areas, training justice sector actors on minority rights, integrating traditional conflict resolution mechanisms into national peace efforts and recruiting security personnel from local communities.
Immediate funding measures
To fast-track implementation, Ruto announced several immediate interventions, including:
- A Sh500 million National Minority Scholarship Programme to support children from indigent minority and marginalised communities to access secondary and tertiary education;
- Government payment of Social Health Authority (SHA) contributions for 200,000 vulnerable individuals, guaranteeing access to healthcare;
- An annual Sh200 million Education Infrastructure Fund to build and upgrade schools and colleges in marginalised areas.
He directed key ministries to prioritise minority regions in the provision of water, roads and health facilities, while urging governors to establish County Minority Inclusion Units and domesticate the policy in their development plans.
Ruto also elevated the Minorities and Marginalised Affairs Unit within the Executive Office of the President into a semi-autonomous agency with legal and financial authority to coordinate implementation.
“As we launch this policy today, we affirm a collective resolve: never again will minority and marginalised communities be an afterthought,” the President said.
