Ruto hails Uhuru and late Raila Odinga for shaping his govt’s agenda
By Faith Lagat, November 20, 2025President William Ruto has disclosed that his administration’s ambitious infrastructure and food security agenda was shaped in part by insights from two key opposition figures: the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address before a joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday, November 20, 2025, Ruto recounted a discussion he held with Raila Odinga shortly before the opposition leader’s death.
“I discussed this vision with the late Rt Hon. Raila Odinga, who reminded me that no nation has industrialised without roads, energy, and food security. I have also engaged former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who emphasised the necessity of scaling up infrastructure investments.”
Raila emphasised that no nation had industrialised without strong foundations in roads, energy, and food security. The President added that former President Uhuru Kenyatta also underscored the need to significantly scale up infrastructure investment.
Ruto framed transport and logistics as the fourth national priority, describing it as the backbone of Kenya’s competitiveness. He noted that Kenya’s status as Africa’s sixth-largest economy and host of the UN’s largest office in the Global South demanded world-class ports, airports, highways, and digital corridors.
Ambitious expansion plans
Drawing on international comparisons, the President cited Japan’s post-war expansion of paved roads from 2,000 km to over one million kilometres within seven decades.
He noted that Kenya had reached only 22,000 km over a similar period. To accelerate progress, the Ministry of Roads and Transport has mapped 2,500 km of highways for dualling and 28,000 km for tarmacking in the next decade.
Ruto said public-private partnerships would be central to modernising Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as well as the ports of Mombasa and Lamu. He added that challenges facing Kenya Airways would be resolved by 2026.
He noted that in the next week, he will launch the dualling of the 170-km Rironi–Naivasha–Nakuru–Mau Summit road and break ground on the 58-km Rironi–Maai Mahiu–Naivasha section.
Other roads earmarked for dualling include Muthaiga–Kiambu–Ndumberi, Machakos Junction–Mariakani, Kisumu–Busia, Athi River–Namanga, and the Northern Bypass.
The Standard Gauge Railway is also set for extension from Naivasha to Kisumu and, eventually, to Malaba beginning in January 2026.
Funding the vision
Ruto estimated that implementing the four national priorities, including infrastructure, would require at least Ksh 5 trillion. To achieve this without heavy borrowing or new taxes, the government plans to establish a National Infrastructure Fund and a Sovereign Wealth Fund.
Proceeds from privatisation will be channelled into the Infrastructure Fund to attract private capital, while part of natural resource royalties and privatisation revenue will seed the Sovereign Wealth Fund, structured around savings, stabilisation, and infrastructure.
The President concluded by reaffirming that the agenda was shaped through broad consultations with leaders across the political divide, governors, MPs, community leaders, and ordinary Kenyans.