NAIROBI, Kenya — Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged United Democratic Alliance (UDA) leaders and aspirants to be prepared to publicly account for the party’s 2022 manifesto commitments, saying the Kenya Kwanza administration remains focused on the full implementation of its agenda.
Speaking at a meeting with UDA aspirants at State House on Wednesday, Kindiki said party leaders must be able to explain what was promised to voters, what has been delivered so far, and how the government plans to complete outstanding commitments ahead of future elections.
“At the time we asked Kenyans for their votes, we presented a clear manifesto, and that manifesto continues to guide our leadership,” Kindiki said. “Our commitment is to implement it one hundred percent.”
The Deputy President cited what he described as improvements in key macroeconomic indicators since President William Ruto’s administration took office in 2022.
He said the shilling, which he put at about Sh165 to the US dollar at the time, had stabilised at around Sh128–129, while inflation had declined from 9.6pc to about 4.4pc. He added that foreign exchange reserves had risen from $5.7 billion to $12.1 billion.
Kindiki said agriculture and livestock, which he described as the backbone of the economy, had been prioritised. He pointed to a reduction in fertiliser prices from about Sh7,000 per bag in 2022 to around Sh2,500, linking the change to increased production.
According to the Deputy President, maize output rose from 44 million bags in 2022 to 67 million in 2024 and 75 million in 2025. He also cited gains in key value chains, including coffee prices rising from about Sh70 per kilogramme to between Sh120 and Sh160, and sugar production increasing from 472,000 to 815,000 metric tonnes, which he said had reduced imports by 70pc.
On livestock, Kindiki said milk output increased from 4.6 billion litres in 2022 to 5.3 billion litres, while dairy exports grew from Sh4.9 billion to Sh8.9 billion. He added that meat exports rose by 45 P.c to Sh12.9 billion, and said the near completion of the Kenya Leather Industrial Park would support value addition.
He said the government was also strengthening the blue economy through Sh3.2 billion in grants to fishermen and cooperatives along the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria, alongside investments in landing sites, cold storage facilities, and quality testing laboratories in Mombasa and Kisumu.
On education, Kindiki said reforms were guided by a presidential working party and that the sector’s budget had increased from Sh500 billion in 2022 to Sh702 billion. He said the government had employed 100,000 teachers, built 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories, and expanded TVET enrolment from 297,000 to 718,000.
In health, he said insurance reforms had expanded coverage, noting that while NHIF covered about seven million people, SHIF Taifa Care had registered 29.2 million. He also cited the deployment of more than 107,000 community health promoters.
Kindiki said job creation efforts were anchored on large construction projects, including affordable housing, markets and student hostels, with 235 active sites and contracts nearing Sh800 billion. He said about 500,000 young people were currently working on the projects, with a target of one million by year-end.
He also cited growth in digital and overseas jobs, noting that 538,000 Kenyans were working abroad and that diaspora remittances had risen by more than $1 billion over three years.
