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President William Ruto’s week was marked by unveiling new plans and services for Kenyans.
Ruot started his week at KICC where he presided over the launch of a capacity building and empowerment program for boda boda riders and one-year free medical cover.
Dubbed ‘Boda Boda Care’, the program targets 200,000 riders who have adhered to NTSA regulations and will be trained as first responders by St. Johns Ambulance.
He announced that the move will help reduce the number of boda-boda accidents and deaths.
“The big challenge is riders have no training and have no licenses. We have talked to NYS, I’ll talk to Parliament and the Council of Governors so that we have the training,” Ruto said.
To reduce the cost of training and licensing Ruto proposed that the operators would be charged Sh2,500 for training and license fees.
“I’m told training is Sh8,000 and the license is Sh3,050.The CS (Kipchumba Murkomen) go plan yourself. I want this training plus licensing which is 10,000 reduced to Sh2,500,” he added.
The President on Tuesday chaired Kenya Kwanza’s sixth cabinet meeting where among other highlights, they approved the attendance of UDA secretary general Cleophas Malala, chairperson of Council of Economic Advisors David Ndii, and National Security Advisor Monica Juma in its meetings.
In a dispatch, the Cabinet also approved the attendance of advisor on Women’s Rights Harriette Chiggai at the weekly Tuesday Cabinet meetings.
“This is in line with getting women issues at the center of President William Ruto’s administration,” the Cabinet said in a dispatch.
On Wednesday as the Muslim faithful marked Eid-Ul-Adha, President Ruto took a break from the corridors of State House and visited his farm in Trans Mara to inspect the progress of the maize crop.
In a series of photos shared across multiple platforms, Ruto is seen holding maize stems during the inspection.
The President has never been shy from saying he is a farmer and also a chicken seller.
On Friday, President William Ruto started his day by signing the County Allocation of Revenue Bill and Equalization Fund Appropriation Bill 2023, paving the way for the release of county monies.
Ruto was a proud President and his government marked a milestone in its journey to digitise state services.
In his plan to eliminate graft in accessing government services, he launched the eCitizen Mobile Application dubbed Gava Mkononi which is expected to bring over 5,000 government services under one roof allowing Kenyans to conveniently access critical government services in the comfort of their homes.
The President also unveiled Gava Express which can be accessed physically by the public seeking government services.
He said that the Gava Express is modelled along Huduma Centres and non-smartphone owners will now access government services.
However, the highlight of the week was during the event when President Ruto publicly interrogated the Cabinet Secretaries’ performance.
They were put on the spotlight to answer questions about their areas of work.
Ruto who doesn’t mince his words was quick to ask questions aligning them to his manifesto.
The CSs answered the President with some being stopped mid-sentence and asked to elaborate further.
Ruto was keen to know how the ministries have aligned themselves in his plan to digitise 5,000 government services.
It was at this event that the President put on hold the proposed salary review for senior state officials.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission has proposed a review of the salaries of senior state officials including the president, his deputy, other members of the cabinet, MPs, and MCAs.
Ruto however said that can wait but salaries of teachers, police officers, KDF officers, and other civil servants will be adjusted upwards by 7-10 percent effective July 1.
“I know there is a proposal by SRC for the increase of salaries of different cadres of both civil servants and other public servants. Because of the economic times we live in, we have approved that salaries of other civil servants can be adjusted beginning tomorrow (Saturday),” he said.
On Saturday, the President had a 3-event diary which started at KICC, Nairobi where he lead Kenyans in celebrating Ushirika Day.
It also marked the 101st International Day of Cooperatives themed “Cooperatives for Sustainable Development”
Ruto said that the government is planning to support cooperatives to realize its goals.
He added that the government will support the sector through institutional reform measures.
This will be done through the harmonization of legislation governing various crops, with the aim of reducing the cost of production to boost production and competitiveness.
The Head of State also revealed how his administration plans to work with counties to eliminate cartels in the agricultural sector.
This will be done through setting up aggregation and distribution centres for storage.
“The objective of this partnership is to reduce post-harvest losses, eliminate predatory cartels and boost farmer incomes,” Ruto said.
He added that these centres will also serve as value addition and marketing of agricultural products centres to eliminate cartels .
The President later presided over a tree-growing campaign at Kessup Forest Block, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
This was the Seventh Edition of the Kaptagat Tree Growing initiative.
Ruto said Kaptagat Forest Ecosystem is a critical catchment area supporting thousands of livelihoods in different counties such as Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans-Nzoia, and Uasin Gishu.
“It not only supplies water for irrigation and domestic use but also offers the right training environment for our thriving sportsmen and women,” he added.
The move is aimed at accelerating the attainment of the 30 percent tree cover.
During the tree planting drive, over 32,000 seedlings are set to be grown.
The President will finalize his week in Molo, Nakuru county where he will join faithful at a church service.