The Ruto administration is banking on lower farming costs, increased food production, expanded housing construction and wider access to government programmes to demonstrate its economic record as Kenya heads towards the 2027 General Election, according to a new government assessment covering its first three years in office.
The 137-page BETA Pillars Scorecard for 2022–2025, sets out the government’s reported progress under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, providing figures on programmes targeting farmers, small businesses, homebuyers, patients and jobseekers.
The document highlights achievements in agriculture, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), housing, healthcare, education, digital government services and employment. It also points to a sharp increase in the number of Kenyans securing employment abroad.
The assessment comes as political attention shifts towards the next election, giving the administration a record of its policies and interventions that it is likely to use to defend its performance before voters.
Agriculture features prominently, with the government crediting its fertiliser subsidy programme with reducing the cost of farm inputs and helping increase domestic food production.
The scorecard shows that a 50kg bag of fertiliser, which cost Sh7,500 in 2022, was selling at Sh2,500 in 2025. The reduction represents a 67 per cent drop in the price of the key farm input.
The government estimates that the intervention saved farmers Sh105 billion over two years, as the volume of subsidised fertiliser distributed increased from 1.4 million bags to 21.3 million.
The administration links the programme to higher food production, particularly maize, as well as lower prices for some basic commodities.
According to the report, maize output increased substantially during the period, while imports declined, pointing to improved local supply.
The wholesale price of a 90kg bag of maize fell from Sh4,729 to Sh3,569, while a 2kg packet of maize flour dropped in price from Sh250 to Sh165.
The government has also cited improved returns from agricultural exports, with tea earnings reaching Sh215 billion and coffee prices rising.
The figures form part of the administration’s argument that supporting agricultural production can ease pressure on household budgets while improving the earnings of farmers and the performance of export markets.
Hustler Fund reaches millions of borrowers
The government has also placed the Hustler Fund at the centre of its efforts to expand access to credit for low-income earners and small businesses that need financing.
The scorecard reports that 26.5 million Kenyans have subscribed to the programme, which has issued Sh68.3 billion in personal loans.
Micro and small groups have received an additional Sh196.6 million through the fund, according to the assessment.
Borrowers are classified using a credit-rating system based on their repayment behaviour, which determines the loan products they can access.
The government says six million borrowers have achieved A-B ratings, allowing them to qualify for the Bridge Loan product, whose limits reach Sh150,000 at an annual interest rate of eight per cent.
The programme had also mobilised Sh4.3 billion in savings by the period covered in the report.
Beyond lending, the administration says it has taken steps to bring more informal businesses into the formal economy. The scorecard lists 2.25 million registered micro and small enterprises and 58,200 associations.
The government further reports that 31 Constituency Industrial Development Centres have been refurbished, while another 177 have been integrated into the system as aggregation hubs.
These initiatives feature in the administration’s wider plan to support small businesses, improve access to finance and strengthen the organisation of enterprises operating outside the formal economy.
Housing construction records sharp increase
Housing is another sector in which the government reports a major expansion, with the number of units under construction rising from 8,872 in 2022 to 161,911 in 2025.
The increase represents growth of more than 1,700 per cent over the period, according to the scorecard.
The administration estimates that its affordable housing programme has created 330,000 jobs, presenting the initiative as both a way of expanding access to homes and a source of employment.
To encourage investment in the sector, the government has introduced tax measures aimed at developers and changes intended to make housing finance less expensive.
The Railway Development Levy was cut from two per cent to 1.5 per cent. Developers who build at least 100 affordable housing units annually can also qualify for a reduced corporate tax rate of 15 per cent.
The report highlights the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company as another part of the effort to improve access to homeownership.
The company has refinanced 3,855 mortgages, with interest rates falling as low as 10 per cent, compared with an average commercial rate of 16.2 per cent.
Despite the reported increase in construction, the scorecard provides less information on the number of houses that have been completed and are ready for occupation.
It also gives limited detail on how many completed units have reached the intended beneficiaries or whether their prices are within the reach of the families the programme seeks to assist.
This leaves a distinction between the reported growth in construction activity and the number of homes that households can actually access.
SHA registrations exceed former NHIF membership
In healthcare, the government points to the number of Kenyans registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA) as evidence of the reach of its new health coverage system.
The scorecard puts SHA registrations at 25.8 million, compared with eight million members under the former National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).
The figures show a substantial difference in registration numbers between the two systems, which the administration has included among its reported achievements.
Healthcare is one of several sectors covered by the assessment, alongside agriculture, housing, small business financing, education, digital transformation and employment.
The government’s report also highlights growth in digital government services and an increase in the number of Kenyans obtaining jobs abroad, although the figures presented in the available details do not specify the scale of those changes.
Taken together, the scorecard provides a numerical account of the administration’s main interventions since 2022, ranging from lower fertiliser prices and maize flour costs to expanded credit facilities, housing construction and health registrations.
As the 2027 elections approach, the report gives President William Ruto’s administration a basis for presenting its economic record to voters, with the government pointing to progress across several sectors while some details, particularly on completed and affordable housing, remain limited.