Ruto dismisses critics, affirms Kenya’s economy on right track
By Faith Lagat, November 20, 2025President William Ruto has delivered his State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of Parliament, defending his administration’s economic record and dismissing critics.
Opening the economic section of his address on Thursday, November 20, 2025, President Ruto said assessments by global institutions and market indicators show that Kenya’s economic outlook is improving.
“The world’s most respected economic assessors and market sentiment are affirming what we already know: that our economy is strengthening, our prospects are brightening, and confidence in Kenya is rising,” he said.
Ruto dismisses critics
The President accused detractors of misrepresenting the state of the economy.
“Our critics, the high priests of eternal pessimism, who criticise without responsibility and tear down without offering alternatives, will want you to believe that our economy is going in the wrong direction,” he said.
He added that while criticism is permitted in a democracy, facts must prevail.
“But while anyone may speak their mind, and that is the beauty of our democracy, no one is entitled to manufacture self-serving falsehoods and traffic them as facts. And facts are exactly what I present today: clear, verifiable, and indisputable.”
Economic indicators cited
In defending the administration’s performance, President Ruto outlined key economic shifts over the past three years.
He said inflation had eased from 9.6 per cent to 4.6 per cent this month. The Kenyan shilling has strengthened from 165 to about 128–129 against the US dollar, while foreign exchange reserves have more than doubled, rising from US$5.7 billion in 2022 to the current US$12 billion.
He also cited remarks he made to Kenyans in Qatar on November 4, where he noted that Kenya is now ranked as the sixth-largest economy in Africa. “By God’s grace, Kenya has managed to pass countries like Ethiopia and Angola,” he said, adding that the International Monetary Fund had confirmed the position a month earlier.
Ruto further recalled that in 2022, Kenya was listed among six countries at risk of defaulting on debt.
“But the good news, by God’s grace, of the six countries that were supposed to default, five did, and Kenya did not,” he said, attributing the outcome to stabilisation measures adopted amid global financial pressures.
The President assured Parliament that his administration will continue implementing policies aimed at maintaining a strong, stable and inclusive economy. He urged Kenyans to rely on verifiable information and avoid narratives he described as pessimistic and misleading.