Ruto Lays Out Vision for Economic Sovereignty as Kenya Charts Path to First-World Status

In a sweeping Jamhuri Day address, President William Ruto declared that Kenya’s next great struggle is for economic freedom, unveiling a detailed roadmap to transform the nation into a first-world economy within a generation.

Speaking before a packed Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, with Ghanaian President John Mahama as chief guest, Ruto framed the moment as a historic turning point. “Our founding fathers defeated colonial domination. The duty now falls on us to secure economic liberation,” he stated. “A freedom where effort is rewarded, opportunity is shared, dignity is guaranteed, and no Kenyan is left behind.”

Central to this vision is an ambitious Ksh.5 trillion plan, anchored by two pioneering financial instruments: a National Infrastructure Fund and a Sovereign Wealth Fund.

The National Infrastructure Fund, set for Cabinet approval on Monday, is designed to mobilize massive resources for upgrading roads, expanding irrigation to boost food security, and generating cleaner energy to power industrialization. “This fund will align our financial resources with our development goals,” Ruto explained, noting it will be capitalized through natural resource royalties, public investment dividends, and privatization proceeds.

Alongside it, the Sovereign Wealth Fund will operate on three core pillars: saving for future generations, insulating the economy from global shocks, and making strategic national investments. The President tied the fund directly to constitutional principles, emphasizing “inter-generational equity” as mandated by Article 201(c) of the Constitution, which requires that the benefits and burdens of public borrowing be shared fairly between present and future Kenyans.

“Through innovative mobilisation of domestic resources and strategic monetisation of national assets, we will unlock large-scale private capital,” Ruto said, outlining a strategy intended to reduce reliance on foreign borrowing and heavy taxation.

The address also spotlighted recently enacted governance reforms. The newly signed Government-Owned Enterprises Bill, described by Ruto as the most significant overhaul of parastatals since independence, aims to end “the era of cronyism and patronage.” The law mandates merit-based board appointments, disqualifies recent political office holders, and ties leadership to measurable performance.

Yet the President struck a sober tone on the challenges ahead, identifying corruption, tribalism, and social division as existential threats. “Corruption is not merely theft of money; it is the theft of hope, opportunity, and destiny,” he asserted. He linked the nation’s “integrity deficit” to a erosion of values that begins early, warning that “seemingly harmless dishonesty later matures into grand corruption.”

Calling for a national moral renewal, Ruto defined patriotism as “putting the interest of the nation before tribe, clan, or self,” and urged citizens to embed integrity, responsibility, and love of country in the next generation.

The international dimension of Kenya’s ambitions was reinforced by President Mahama, who emphasized African self-reliance. “To claim a fair share of our resources, we must add value to all our exports,” he urged, calling for enhanced intra-African trade to tap into the continent’s vast market.

As the ceremony concluded, the message was one of historic urgency—a call to transition from political independence to economic sovereignty. With a detailed policy architecture now public, the Ruto administration has framed the coming years as a definitive test of whether Kenya can translate its vast potential into shared, lasting prosperity.