President William Ruto has taken out a four-page newspaper advertisement in the Daily Nation to outline his administration’s achievements halfway through his five-year term.
While it is unclear how much the government has spent on the advertisement, full-page ads typically cost between Ksh800,000 and Ksh1 million per page. The ad is estimated to have cost around Ksh4 million.
The advertisement comes as the government’s communication strategy pivots following his scathing assessment of poor communication last year.
President Ruto acknowledged past criticisms of poor communication from his government, stating, “Last year, we were accused of not communicating our achievements effectively. This advertisement is part of our commitment to ensuring Kenyans are fully informed about the progress we are making.”
The advert, published on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, highlights significant progress across various sectors, including the economy, health, education, and digital transformation, under his Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The most striking achievement touted in the notice is the stabilisation of Kenya’s economy, with GDP growth improving from 4.9 per cent in 2022 to 5.6 per cent in 2023 and inflation dropping from 8.2 per cent in September 2022 to 3.5 per cent in February 2025.
Ruto continued to highlight the exchange rate, insisting it has stabilised at Ksh129.19, down from Ksh160.8 in January 2024. These figures, according to the notice, reflect the success of tight monetary policies and reduced food and energy prices, which have eased household financial strain.
In the health sector, the government reports a 146.25 per cent increase in Social Health Insurance (SHI) membership, with 12.7 million Kenyans registered as of February 2025. Additionally, 106,542 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have been trained and equipped. Over 8.5 million households have been visited by CHPs, leading to early detection and management of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
According to the government, the education sector has also seen notable improvements, with 16,000 classrooms connected for Junior Secondary Schools and 76,000 teachers recruited. The school feeding programme has expanded, benefiting 2.6 million learners in 2025, up from 2.25 million in 2022. The government has also increased enrolment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes by 42 per cent, with 484,333 students enrolled in 2025 compared to 340,131 in 2022.
Ruto also highlighted the construction of 4,690 kilometres of fibre-optic connectivity and the establishment of 1,563 public Wi-Fi hotspots.
The notice also highlights the modernisation of theatres and art galleries, the training of 300 therapists under the County Theatre Fiesta Programme, and support for 605 artists to participate in international festivals. It also mentions the restoration of 308,098 historical files, totalling 37 terabytes.
The advert further emphasises the administration’s commitment to gender equality and social protection. Loans disbursed to women’s groups increased by 92 per cent, and 2,554 groups benefitted from grants for socio-economic empowerment.
The Inua Jamii cash transfer programme has expanded, with a 66 per cent increase in older persons receiving social protection.
In the housing sector, the government says it has ring-fenced Ksh4.4 billion for affordable housing projects, with 24,232 jobs created in the construction sector. The number of mortgages has grown from 30,000 to 1 million, enabling low-cost homeownership for more Kenyans.
