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President William Ruto has hinted at a move to partner with the Saudi Arabian government to offer more Kenyans job opportunities in the country.

Speaking during a church service in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Sunday, October 29, President Ruto said he learnt during his recent trip to the Middle East that the country needs 350,000 workers, preferably Kenyans because they are hardworking.

He noted that he will return to Saudi Arabia to sign bilateral agreements aimed at securing investments and opportunities for Kenyans.

“Last week, I was in Saudi Arabia and they need 350,000 workers, preferably Kenyans. I will be going back to Saudi Arabia in the next three weeks to sign bilateral agreements,” Ruto said.

At the same time, the Head of State defended his numerous foreign trips, insisting that the visits were for the benefit of Kenyans.

“There are those who say I am flying out a lot, but they forget I’m the country’s chief agent and I have to look for job opportunities for Kenyans,” Ruto said. 

“When I was recently in China, President Xi Jinping welcomed us and said China will help Kenya. He made my work there easier.”

He assured that economic interventions by the Kenya Kwanza government will soon bear fruits.

“Kenya is a blessed country. This country is going to change, I promise you. We have God’s grace and I have no doubt in my mind,” President Ruto stated.

The President has been under heavy criticism from several quarters in recent weeks after it emerged that he has made nearly 40 trips abroad in just a year after his election.

Maize imports

At the same time, President Ruto noted that the government was committed to doubling food production in the country in a bid to eliminate dependence on imports.

According to Ruto, the government has put in place measures to ensure Kenya stops maize importation from 2025.

To maximise production, he encouraged farmers to take advantage of the government’s fertiliser subsidy to achieve high yields.

“I know most farmers use 50kgs of fertiliser per acre. From next year, we will double that and by 2025 Kenya will not be importing food into the country again. We will make sure that our farmers produce enough and benefit from their hard work,” President Ruto said while announcing the production of an extra 12-15 million bags of maize this year.

”We don’t want to import maize ever again from another country. Next year will be the last year that we will be importing maize. From 2025, we won’t import even a single sack of maize. All the maize will be produced in Kenya,” he added.