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President William Ruto kickstarted the new year by threatening to fire a contractor working at the Kisii Cancer Centre.

While visiting the site on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, the Head of State expressed dissatisfaction with the pace the contractor was using to implement the project.

He wondered why the contractor was taking time, yet money had been allocated for the critical government project.

The Head of State who was accompanied by other leaders, including Health Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai, instructed the contractor to implement the project in line with the agreement or face contract termination.

“In Kisii, inspected the construction of the Kisii Cancer Centre, a vital component of our healthcare plan.

“I was dissatisfied with the progress and instructed the contractor to meet the deadlines or face contract termination,” Ruto’s statement read in part.

PS Kimtai informed the president that he had convened a meeting with the contractors scheduled for Friday, January 3, 2025, where he would relay the warning to other individuals working on site.

“You have been paid all the money required. There is no reason whatsoever why this project is not progressing,” Ruto added after Harry Kimtai’s statement and instructed him to give them a final warning during the meeting.

Warning to other contractors

At the same time, Ruto sounded a warning to other contractors delaying the implementation of key government projects.

The President said the government is committed to fulfilling its promises to the people, saying contractors undermining their efforts will not be tolerated.

“There are many contractors who are letting us down, and we will not allow them. This is the year for delivering our agenda as planned,” he stated.

This followed his New Year address, where he vowed to push for more development and grow the economy further in 2025. He expressed his commitment to overseeing a real transformation in all sectors of the economy, including health and education, which have so far been widely criticised.

We have laid a strong foundation to accelerate the fulfilment of our promise to the people. Contractors delaying the implementation of key programmes will not be tolerated.

In Kisii, inspected the construction of the Kisii Cancer Centre, a vital component of our healthcare plan.… pic.twitter.com/GRKKKWmGJA

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) January 1, 2025