As Kenya moves closer to the 2027 General Election, President William Ruto’s campaign pledges and commitments made after taking office continue to face increased public scrutiny as Kenyans assess the progress made by his administration.

The Kenya Kwanza administration has maintained that it has delivered reforms across several sectors, including affordable housing, digital government services, agriculture and healthcare.

However, a number of flagship promises remain at different stages of implementation or have yet to be fully realised.

This article is based on President Ruto’s publicly available speeches, government announcements and the observable implementation status of the projects and policies discussed. Where implementation is ongoing, that has been indicated.

Free phone calls

One of President Ruto’s most memorable campaign pledges came on June 29, 2022, during the launch of the Kiambu County Hustler Fund “Pesa Mfukoni” event.

Drawing parallels with the Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Programme, he promised to roll out a nationwide internet initiative that would enable residents in areas connected to the national electricity grid to make phone calls free of charge using internet connectivity.

“Vile tulitengeneza last mile ya stima, sasa tutafanya last mile ya internet. Tutatumia kila nyumba, kila soko, kila shule, mahali kuna stima ya grid, tutaweka internet.”

He added:

“Wale mnafanya biashara pale sokoni, kupiga simu haitaitaji tena bundles. Simu utakua unapiga free of charge, haitakua imekatika kwa sababu tutakua tumedeploy internet.”

The President estimated the programme would cost about KSh38 billion.

As of June 2026, a nationwide programme providing free internet-based phone calls across all areas connected to the national electricity grid had not been implemented.

The government has announced investments in digital infrastructure over the past three years, but no nationwide rollout matching the scope of the pledge had been publicly confirmed by the time of publication.

Affordable cooking gas

Speaking during the launch of the Women Enterprise Fund at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on March 2, 2023, President Ruto pledged to lower the cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by reducing taxes and subsidising cylinders.

“Ile 8 per cent ambayo serikali inachukua kama ushuru kwa mambo ya gas, tutaondoa ndio tupunguze gharama ya gas wananchi wengi waweze kununua gas.”

He continued:

“Tutaweka pesa ya serikali kupunguza gharama ya mtungi ya gas. Ile kilo sita mnanunua 2,500, 2,800 tutaishukisha chini mpaka shilingi 500 ama 300.”

Since then, the government has introduced programmes intended to increase access to clean cooking energy and has outlined plans aimed at expanding LPG usage.

However, by the time of publication, six-kilogramme LPG cylinders had not generally reached the KSh300 to KSh500 price range referenced by the President, with prices continuing to vary across different parts of the country.

Nithi Bridge upgrade

The reconstruction of Nithi Bridge, which has for years been regarded as one of Kenya’s accident blackspots, has featured prominently in President Ruto’s public commitments.

While addressing a church congregation in Tharaka Nithi County on April 28, 2023, the President assured residents that funds for redesigning the bridge had been prioritised.

“Mambo ya Nithi Bridge. Na tulikubaliana na nyinyi, ya kwamba, hii bridge itakoma kuua watu wa Tharaka Nithi na hapa Meru. Tayari tuko kwa mpango wa kupanga budget ya mwaka huu. Pesa ya kubalidisha ile bridge na hata barabara, isiwe na matatizo kiasi ile.”

The President has repeated the commitment on subsequent occasions.

Although preliminary construction and preparatory works on the new Nithi Bridge have officially begun, the pace of the project has drawn criticism, particularly from opposition leaders, who argue that progress has been slow.

Whether the bridge will be completed before the 2027 General Election remains to be seen.

Community healthcare

On September 25, 2023, President Ruto launched the Community Health Promoters programme at Uhuru Park, saying 100,000 trained promoters would provide healthcare services at the household level.

“Kenyans will now be attended to in their homes by fully trained local Community Health Promoters who will be supervised by qualified health workers,” Ruto said.

Under the programme, each promoter was assigned approximately 100 households and equipped with digital tools to facilitate screening, referrals and follow-up care.

The programme has since been rolled out in phases across the country. However, nationwide household coverage had not yet been achieved by the time of publication.

Reducing public borrowing

During the 2022 election campaign, President Ruto repeatedly said his administration would reduce Kenya’s reliance on borrowing and instead attract greater investment into the country.

“We will stop borrowing and start inviting friends to invest in the country,” he said.

Since assuming office, the government has continued to state that it is pursuing fiscal consolidation while restructuring debt and attracting investment.

At the same time, Kenya has continued to raise funds through both domestic and external borrowing to finance part of its budget and refinance existing obligations.

The level of public debt, therefore, remains a significant subject of public discussion and political debate.