NAIROBI, Kenya — Nyandarua Senator John Methu has challenged President William Ruto to publish a detailed scorecard showing how many of the promises made during the 2022 presidential campaign have been fulfilled, arguing that the government should be judged by measurable improvements in the lives of ordinary Kenyans.
Speaking on Thursday at the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) headquarters in Nairobi, Methu questioned whether the Kenya Kwanza administration’s policies and programmes had translated into tangible benefits for citizens nearly four years after taking office.
“Of all the promises William Ruto made to Kenyans in 2022, which one, just one, has been delivered after four years? Publish the scorecard,” Methu said.
He challenged the President and his administration to demonstrate what ordinary Kenyans had gained from government programmes and to provide evidence that would justify seeking another term in office.
“If Ruto deserves another term, what measurable improvement has the ordinary Kenyan seen?” he asked.
Methu’s remarks come as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 General Election, with the performance of the Ruto administration increasingly becoming a central issue in political campaigns.
Government highlights its record
The Kenya Kwanza administration has previously published performance scorecards outlining what it considers achievements under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
A government scorecard covering the administration’s first three years highlighted progress in areas including affordable housing, road construction, overseas employment, social protection and registration under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Ruto has also pointed to improvements in Kenya’s macroeconomic indicators, including lower inflation, stronger foreign exchange reserves and declining borrowing costs.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, speaking during the launch of the National Beyond 2030 Conversation on Wednesday, cited several indicators that he said demonstrated progress since 2022.
Kindiki said Kenya’s foreign exchange reserves had risen to $15.1 billion, which he described as the highest level in the country’s history.
He also said inflation had fallen from 9.6 per cent when the administration assumed office to below six per cent, while Kenya attracted $3.2 billion in foreign direct investment in the previous year.
According to Kindiki, Central Bank lending rates to commercial banks had also fallen from 13.5 per cent to 8.7 per cent, potentially making credit more accessible to businesses.
Agriculture and food production
Kindiki also cited developments in agriculture, saying the government had registered 7.2 million farmers and collected information on their locations, crops, farm sizes and fertiliser requirements.
“We used to work on guesswork. We didn’t know how many farmers we have, where they are, what they grow, the size of their farms, the kind of fertiliser they need,” he said.
He claimed maize production had increased from 44 million bags in 2022 to 75 million bags last year.
Tea production, he said, had risen from Sh138 billion to Sh215 billion, while sugar production increased from 472,000 metric tonnes to 815,000 metric tonnes over the same period.
Kindiki also said Kenya had become Africa’s largest producer of processed milk, with production rising from 4.6 billion litres to 5.5 billion litres.
Education, healthcare and infrastructure
On education, Kindiki said government funding had increased from Sh500 billion in 2022 to Sh784 billion in 2026.
He also cited the recruitment of 100,000 teachers and construction of 23,000 classrooms as evidence of increased investment in the sector.
In healthcare, the Deputy President said the number of Kenyans covered by public medical insurance had increased from approximately eight million under NHIF to 32.2 million.
On infrastructure, Kindiki said the government had paid Sh177 billion in pending bills owed to road contractors, allowing stalled projects covering about 6,000 kilometres across the 47 counties to resume.
He further said electricity connectivity had expanded, with the number of connected households rising from 8.9 million to 10.3 million. The government, he added, was targeting connectivity for all 15.6 million households within four years.
Jobs and digital economy
Kindiki also highlighted employment initiatives, saying approximately 650,000 Kenyans were working through the affordable housing programme while about 300,000 were earning through digital jobs under the Ajira programme.
He said more than 30,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable had been installed, with 382 ICT hubs completed and another 416 under construction.
The Deputy President, however, warned that Kenya’s development could be undermined if successive governments abandon projects and policies whenever political leadership changes.
“The biggest threat of African countries, the biggest threat of developing countries, is policy disruption,” Kindiki said.
Methu questions impact on ordinary Kenyans
Methu maintained that government statistics should ultimately be measured against the lived experiences of citizens.
He also defended statements by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua concerning the government’s performance, arguing that Gachagua’s previous position within the administration should not automatically invalidate his criticism.
“If a former Deputy President, having served inside an administration, tells the people of Kenya that certain things have happened, were happening, or are happening, the question is not whether he was there. The question is, is what he is saying true or false?” Methu said.
The senator’s challenge is likely to fuel an increasingly contested debate over the Ruto administration’s record as political parties position themselves for the 2027 elections.
The competing claims are set to form a major part of the political contest as the country moves closer to the 2027 General Election.
