President William Ruto’s term in office started on a high as he embarked to fulfil the promises he made to Kenyans in his ambitious manifesto unveiled in the run up to the August polls.
Ruto had detailed major issues he pledged to address in his first 100 days in office, and the clock is fast-ticking.
Among the promises is the appointment of the six Court of Appeal judges who were rejected by former president Uhuru Kenyatta on the grounds of integrity concerns.
Immediately after being sworn in, the president signed his first executive order to approve the appointment of the six judges. On Wednesday, September 14, the president witnessed the judges take their oath of office at State House.
During the event, Ruto vowed to accord the Judiciary necessary support in fulfilling its mandate and operations.
“We will support the Judiciary to operate optimally to deliver on its mandate. It is through its independence and efficiency that we can unlock the social and economic potential of our country,” Ruto stated.
End of 'State Capture'
Besides the appointment of judges, the president had also promised to launch a public inquiry to establish the extent of state capture. According to the manifesto published by the Kenya Kwanza campaign secretariat, the government of Ruto will endeavour to grant autonomy to all independent offices involved in the fight against corruption.
Both the president and his deputy underscored the same issue during their inauguration on Tuesday.
"The government will establish, within 30 days, a quasi-judicial public inquiry to establish the extent of cronyism and state capture in the nation and make recommendations," Kenya Kwanza stated in the manifesto.
Sports Funds
The Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza coalition also made a promise to enhance funding of sports activities. According to the manifesto, the government would establish a task force to identify sustainable sources of funding for sports. Among the recommended considerations were the establishment of a national lottery as well as tax incentives for corporate sponsors.
This would, according to the manifesto, enhance sports activities in the country and subsequently enhance sporting activities.
Women in Cabinet
Further, Ruto made a vow to allocate 50 per cent of his Cabinet to women and implement the problematic two-thirds gender rule for appointments. Ruto, in retaliation to the appointment of Martha Karua as the running mate in the Azimio Coalition, promised to give women an equal opportunity in government.
This would be interesting to see how he will implement this promise considering the number of loyal allies who are hoping to be absorbed into the cabinet.
Mombasa Port
In addition, Ruto promised to revert the operations of the port and shipment services to the port of Mombasa. In his inaugural speech, Ruto stated that the operations of the port would be reverted to Mombasa- a reversal of President Uhuru's move where the Naivasha Inland Port and the Nairobi Dry Port were prioritized.
This promise had been questioned by Coast region leaders who argued that Ruto was part of the administration that made the decision to shift operations to Naivasha and Nairobi.
“This afternoon I will be issuing instructions for clearing of goods and other attendant operation issues to revert to the port of Mombasa as I made a commitment to Kenyans,” he stated.
Though, without a timeline, Ruto also promised to lower the cost of living, which is at an all-time high. On unga prices, the Head of State lowered fertilizer prices, with the hope that it will reduce the cost of production and ultimately food prices.
