President William Ruto has defended his Kenya Kwanza administration’s record, highlighting progress in agriculture, education, healthcare, savings and access to credit as leaders in the broad-based government began a three-day retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on Monday.
The retreat brings together more than 250 National Assembly members, senators, governors, Cabinet Secretaries and other leaders from the Kenya Kwanza and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) formations.
The meeting comes about a year before the 2027 General Election and is expected to review the government’s performance, strengthen cooperation between the two political formations and agree on priorities for the remaining period of the current administration.
The broad-based arrangement traces its roots to efforts by Ruto and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to ease political tensions and build national consensus following the 2024 protests.
Ruto began publicly calling for political leaders to support a broad-based government in August 2024, saying national unity and transformation should take precedence over partisan interests.
The partnership subsequently developed into a formal political and governance framework, with Ruto and Odinga signing a 10-point memorandum of understanding in March 2025.
The agenda included national unity, governance reforms, economic stabilisation, the fight against corruption and youth empowerment.
L-R: Interior CS, Kipchumba Murkomen, Kilifi Governor, Gideon Mung’aro, President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki arriving at a joint ODM-UDA parliamentary group retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County on August 10, 2026. PHOTO/PCS
Addressing leaders in Naivasha, Ruto described the current political formation as one of the largest gatherings of political leaders in the country and said its decisions would have significant implications for Kenya’s future.
“The broad-based family is the largest gathering of political leaders in Kenya. This broad-based family is only second to the Grand Coalition government, and therefore, where you are seated today, understand the consequence of your being here. Our nation, Kenya, today depends to a very large extent on this team that is seated here,” he said.
The Head of State highlighted that the retreat would allow the leaders to assess the government’s performance against promises made to voters, establish what remained achievable and determine what could be delivered over the next year and beyond.
He acknowledged that his administration had faced difficult decisions, particularly in housing, healthcare and education, but maintained that implementing its agenda sometimes required leaders to make unpopular choices.
“I remember telling you then that it is not necessary to be popular all the time. The Bible says there is a time for everything. Today we have a track record that is second to none,” Ruto said.
On agriculture, the President pointed to fertiliser subsidies, farmer registration, efforts to tackle cartels, improved farm-gate prices and the opening of new international markets.
He cited education reforms, including the construction of additional classrooms, recruitment of teachers, changes to the university funding model and implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum.
Ruto also defended the government’s healthcare reforms, particularly the Social Health Authority, saying increased enrolment and funding had enabled health facilities, including those in remote areas, to receive resources they previously lacked.
On savings, he said National Social Security Fund assets had increased from Sh312 billion to Sh680 billion over three years, with the government targeting Sh1 trillion by June next year.
The President also said seven million people had been removed from credit reference bureau listings, while interest rates, inflation and the exchange rate had improved and foreign exchange reserves increased.
Job creation, however, remains a major challenge. Ruto cited employment generated through affordable housing, overseas employment and the digital economy as areas where the government had expanded opportunities.
He said the broad-based arrangement had brought together ideas contained in the Kenya Kwanza and Azimio manifestos, creating what he described as a hybrid programme for national development.
“We bring a hybrid of ideas. We converge the plan that was in Azimio, broadly, largely carried by ODM, and converge it with the plan of Kenya Kwanza, and that is why, in the last two years, the program of implementing what we wanted for Kenya has picked up pace,” he said.
The Naivasha retreat therefore seeks to consolidate that partnership, review its record and establish a common direction as the country approaches the 2027 election.