President William Ruto has defended his administration against accusations of authoritarianism, insisting that Kenya remains a strong democracy that respects free expression and is open for investment.
Speaking to CNN’s Richard Quest following his address at the United Nations General Assembly, President Ruto said the recent wave of anti-government protests in the country was a sign of democratic maturity rather than repression.
“Kenya, you know, is a robustly democratic country, and it is the only place in our corner where people demonstrate, people express themselves freely and everything in between,” Ruto said. “This is the essence of democracy. Democracy is that some people agree with you, some do not agree with you.”
The president highlighted reforms undertaken since he took office in 2022, ranging from education and healthcare to agriculture and housing. He argued that these changes have strengthened the country’s fundamentals, dismissing claims that his policies have discouraged investment.
“That cannot be further from the truth,” he said. “If you look at the numbers, the numbers do not lie. Our inflation has come down from 9.6 to an average of four. Our dollar reserves have doubled from 5.7 billion dollars to 11.8 billion dollars. Our exchange rate has come down from 167 to the dollar to 129. The IMF just released a report that says Kenya has now moved from position nine to position eight as the largest economy in Africa.”
President Ruto acknowledged that governing through protests and criticism has not been easy, but stressed that his administration has remained focused on long-term reforms. “It is quite difficult because there is so much noise sometimes, but for the last three years, I have kept my focus. And believe you me, it is turning around. The numbers are speaking for themselves.”
The president also defended Kenya’s decision to send police officers to Haiti as part of a United Nations-backed international mission aimed at restoring security in the crisis-hit Caribbean nation.
“I will never regret because in the first place, Kenya came into Haiti out of solidarity, because that is the essence of the United Nations,” Ruto said. “This is not the first time we are going across the world for peace efforts. We have done this in Kosovo, we have started in many other places. That is the DNA of Kenya, to be present when others need us.”
Ruto’s remarks come at a time when his government faces continued demonstrations at home over the cost of living and controversial tax measures. However, he maintained that the protests are proof that Kenya’s democratic space remains open and vibrant.
