President William Ruto is under pressure to fulfill his pledges, 57 days towards his first 100 days in office.
In as much as the head of state will be judged after his 100 days, his first two months in office have already elicited mixed reactions with his allies and the opposition clashing on his agenda.
Four key commodities, fuel, fertilisers, maize flour, and electricity, were at the centre of the debate.
What Has Changed
Fuel
In the first days in office, the fuel price skyrocketed to an all-time high before it came down in mid-October 2022.
The price for a litre of Super petrol dropped to Ksh178 from Ksh179.30. Diesel was lowered from Ksh165 to Ksh163, while Kerosene was lowered from Ksh147.94 to Ksh146.
Kenyans, however, lamented that the prices changed with a paltry Ksh1 difference.
Fertiliser
During his inauguration speech, the president lowered the cost of fertiliser from Ksh6,500 to Ksh3,500 for a 50-kilogram bag.
Ruto stated his administration is focused on agricultural production by boosting farmers to focus on irrigation rather than rainy seasons.
"Our strategy to bring down the cost of living is based on empowering producers. The focus for maize harvest this year is 30 million bags against a normal production of 40 million bags. The main cause of the decline is the high cost of farm inputs," he noted.
His deputy has actively flagged off fertiliser to several counties in the country.
Electricity
Electricity prices are expected to rise despite the public outcry.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) increased the fuel and foreign exchange components indicated in the power bill.
Maize Flour - Unga
Ruto and his deputy asked the public to be patient with the new government after the removal of flour subsidies. Kenyans are still waiting for flour prices to drop to Ksh70 from Ksh200 for a two-kilogram packet.
Ruto vs Opposition
The opposition, led by former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, claimed that Ruto was rushing against time to fulfill pledges he haphazardly issued.
However, his allies urged the public to accord the President ample time to shape his agenda as he reportedly inherited a broke nation. Their sentiments shifted from Ruto succeeding in his first 100 days to the head of state requiring a grace period.
Ruto had vowed to lower the cost of common commodities like maize flour in the first 100 days in office.
"It (The change) is not going to be instant we have to tighten our belts, it's going to be a difficult time for the next 100 days to 12 months," Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Gladys Shollei pleaded.
