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| President William Ruto to have consultations on appointments |
President William Ruto has dismissed the Cabinet to pave the way for the formation of a broad-based government.
The President said he had taken this action after an extensive appraisal of the performance of my Cabinet and its achievements and challenges.
He announced that he will engage in extensive consultations in different sectors and political formations to identify men and women who will assist him in accelerating the country’s transformation agenda.
President Ruto said he was keen on the implementation of radical programmes to deal with the burden of debt, raise domestic resources, expand job opportunities, eliminate wastage and unnecessary duplication of government agencies, and slay the dragon of corruption, consequently making the government lean, inexpensive, effective and efficient.
“During this process, the operations of government will continue uninterrupted under the guidance of Principal Secretaries and other relevant officials,” he said.
Speaking during a press conference at State House Nairobi, President Ruto said the offices of the Deputy President and Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs are not affected.
President Ruto pointed out that the government has made significant progress in the implementation of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda in the past 22 months.
“Even with the progress we have made, I am acutely aware that the people of Kenya have high expectations of me and believe that this administration can undertake the most extensive transformation in our nation’s history,” he said.
President Ruto said the government has achieved significant progress in increasing food production by reducing the cost of farm inputs, thereby lowering the cost of food and living.
“We have also stabilised the economy by preventing what was an imminent debt default, stabilising fuel prices, lowering inflation and stabilising the foreign exchange regime, among others,” he added.
The President said the government has implemented radical changes in the education sector, including resolving uncertainty around the Competency Based Curriculum and the roll-out of a new student-focused higher education funding model, with special emphasis for students from vulnerable families.
He added that the government has improved the student-teacher ratio by employing 56,000 teachers for primary and secondary schools, and 2,000 tutors for TVET colleges.
The President said the government has also resolved the bottlenecks in the cash transfer programme for vulnerable Kenyans, including orphans, the elderly and people living with severe disabilities, by ensuring that the beneficiaries receive their stipend at the same time as the salaries of public servants.
On financial inclusion, he said, the Government has rolled out the Hustler Fund, registering 22 million borrowers, with two million benefiting every day.
He added that seven million Kenyans, who had been denied access to financial services by the Credit Reference Bureau, have since been removed from the blacklist roll.
Under the Affordable Housing Programme, he noted, more than 100,000 units are under construction across the country, employing 160,000 young people.
He said the government is expanding manufacturing, value addition and agro-processing to create more jobs.
The President pointed out that the government is setting up 18 County Aggregation and Industrial Parks, while six new Special Economic Zones are under construction.
He said the digital transformation agenda is on course, with 17,000 government services online, while 274 digital hubs have been set up.
“Our Universal Health Coverage plan has already onboarded 107,000 community health promoters and the registration process for the Social Health Insurance Fund is ongoing and ready for launch on October 1, 2024,” he added.
The President said the Public Fundraising Appeals Bill, that is aimed at enforcing his directive to bar public servants from engaging in Harambee, is ready for publication Friday.
By PCS