This is the year Kenya’s transformation journey will take shape, President William Ruto has said.
The President said the government had successfully confronted challenges, created new opportunities, and laid a strong foundation for the country’s future.
He explained that the country has set out priorities and now has a defined roadmap that makes 2026 the turning point in the nation’s history.
“For the first time in a long while, Kenya is not guessing. We are not drifting. We are not gambling. We have set our targets. We have begun the journey,” he said.
“2026 will be a watershed year in the story of our Republic, a turning point in our march from promise to prosperity. A year that future generations will look back on and say Kenya changed course,” he added.
President Ruto spoke when he made his New Year address at State Lodge in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Wednesday evening.
The President said Kenya has chosen to anchor its economic model on work, production, and exports, supported by deliberate investment in infrastructure, energy, irrigation-led agriculture, and skills’ development so that jobs increase, poverty falls, and the dignity of every citizen is upheld.
He pointed out that this is the same formula followed by countries that successfully rose to become first-world economies.
President Ruto said the government is setting a clear national mission to reduce the number of Kenyans living in poverty by half, lifting millions into dignity and opportunity.
He explained that these measures are also aimed at halving unemployment so that more citizens can work, earn, and contribute to the welfare of the nation.
“And we will do this without crushing taxpayers and without saddling our children with unsustainable debt,” he said.
To achieve this, the President noted that the National Infrastructure Fund and the Sovereign Wealth Fund have been established to help finance ambitious development programmes while protecting future generations from unsustainable debt.
In 2026, he pointed out, the government will complete major projects, including the Talanta Sports City Complex and the Bomas International Convention Centre.
It will also accelerate the tarmacking of 6,000km of roads that have already been contracted, including the Rironi-Mau Summit road, begin the Naivasha-Narok-Bomet-Kisumu-Malaba Standard Gauge Railway, launch the Galana Kulalu Dam to irrigate 300,000 acres of farmland, and commence construction of a modern terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
At the same time, President Ruto pointed out that transformation does not require miracles. Instead, he said, it calls for a clear vision and leadership capable of delivering that vision.
He said his leadership will be judged on impact and results, not rhetoric.
To combat the scourge of alcoholism and drug abuse, the President declared the crisis a danger to Kenya’s health, security, and economic future.
And he cited grim statistics – one in every six Kenyans between the ages of 15 and 65 uses at least one substance, warning that addiction is draining the country’s productivity and threatening its future.
He announced that the government will strengthen law enforcement, expand the coordination role of the National Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), and scale up the Anti-Narcotics Unit within the Directorate from 200 to 700 officers to enable it to disrupt trafficking networks and illegal alcohol trade.
“We will establish a strengthened Anti-Narcotics Unit within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, with operational capacity comparable to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit,” he said.
The President also announced that asset recovery will also be prioritised in drug-related prosecutions, while security officers found colluding with traffickers will be prosecuted and dismissed.
The President urged parents and communities to take greater responsibility for protecting young people from addiction.
“No law can replace parental guidance, community values, or early intervention in the lives of our children,” he said.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki commended President Ruto for bringing the country together and engaging his political rivals in the interest of national unity.
He said this approach has made it possible to roll out major national priorities, including the Affordable Housing Programme and Universal Health Coverage.
