Ruto attributes bad economy to Covid-19, geopolitics

The Star Kenya

President William Ruto has attributed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitics and prolonged drought to the shambling economy of the country. https://bit.ly/3Qt2oyF

Transcript

00:00 In our plan, we identified three primary challenges,

00:05 external shocks, fiscal distress,

00:08 and structural imbalance that heavily strained our economy,

00:13 causing nationwide difficulty.

00:17 The COVID-19 pandemic,

00:18 coupled with global supply chain disruptions

00:21 and geopolitical conflicts,

00:23 significantly raised inflation and interest rates,

00:27 adversely affecting our economy,

00:30 while low agricultural investment and a prolonged drought

00:35 led to food shortages and made Kenya a net importer of food

00:40 in a volatile international market.

00:43 It was under conditions of such extreme difficulty

00:49 that the people of Kenya entrusted us

00:53 with the responsibility of simultaneously

00:55 generating effective solutions to immediate problems,

01:00 providing a credible pathway to stability in the medium term

01:04 and undertaking long-term structural transformation

01:08 of our economy,

01:09 but in a manner which paid attention to the needs

01:13 and aspirations of Kenyans,

01:14 especially those at the bottom of the pyramid.

01:17 The transformation of our economy

01:21 is not only desirable and important,

01:24 it is also necessary and urgent,

01:27 and the people of Kenya have made this clear

01:31 at every opportunity.

01:33 Our duty as leaders is to listen keenly

01:38 and comply with the people's wishes.

01:41 Kenyans want to proceed in a new direction

01:45 and demand a new conversation

01:48 that puts ordinary Kenyans,

01:52 the Mambamboga security, wellbeing,

01:54 interests and aspirations at the front and center

01:58 of all policy and governance discourse.

02:01 Thank you.

02:02 (music)

02:07 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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