President William Ruto has revealed that some individuals, including religious leaders, have been persistently urging him to scale back or revise the promises he made to Kenyans during the election period.
Speaking during the installation of Bishop Benjamin Kalanzo of AIC Bomani in Machakos County on Sunday, Ruto shared that a bishop and other figures had approached him with concerns about the feasibility of fulfilling all the promises.
"There is a bishop, as well as other people, who came and told me, 'You know whatever you promised, you did so because of the elections. Why don’t you revise some of that so the government can deliver what is possible?' But I told them no," the President said.
He dismissed suggestions that his administration had overpromised, insisting that his vision for the country was grounded in ambition, not political expediency. “I’ve been accused of overpromising. But let me tell Kenyans, it’s not about overpromising - it’s about raising our ambition,” he noted.
The Head of State added that he remained fully committed to delivering on every promise made during his campaign, despite the challenges.
The remarks come at a time when the government is facing mounting scrutiny over the slow pace of implementing some of its key pledges.
Additionally, Ruto has reiterated his commitment to fulfilling all the promises he made to Kenyans, stating that it would be a failure of leadership to abandon them midway. According to the Head of State, Kenya has remained stuck in mediocrity while peer nations continue to make significant economic strides.
Ruto pointed out that previous administrations failed to advance transformative policies such as the affordable housing agenda due to low ambition and political compromise.
He singled out the governments of Daniel Moi, Mwai Kibaki, and Uhuru Kenyatta, saying none had succeeded in delivering on the housing vision that his administration is now pursuing aggressively.
“I cannot revise my promises just because delivering them is difficult,” Ruto stated, adding that he intends to complete every pledge made during his campaign period.
Meanwhile, the President donated Ksh20 million towards the construction of the AIC Bomani Church in Machakos County. The donation comes as he defended a similar project at State House, Nairobi, which has drawn criticism from a section of the public.
Ruto further promised to increase the support beyond the Ksh20 million, insisting that partnering with faith institutions is key to national development.
