President William Ruto has said Kenya’s economy has made significant strides over the past three years, surpassing Ethiopia and Angola to become the sixth-largest economy in Africa.
Speaking to Kenyans living in Qatar on Tuesday, the Head of State attributed the achievement to divine grace, disciplined financial management, and the resilience of Kenyans amid global economic uncertainty.
Ruto noted that the country has managed to stabilise its economy despite global inflationary pressures and post-pandemic challenges. He said key indicators, including inflation, exchange rates, and foreign reserves, have shown a strong turnaround.
“Our economy, since the last three years, has stabilised. The inflation has come down from 9.6 per cent to 4.6 per cent this month,” he said, adding that the shilling has also strengthened against the US dollar.
“Our dollar exchange rate strengthened from 165 to 129, 128… I don’t know whether that is good for you guys,” Ruto added
The President further highlighted that Kenya’s foreign exchange reserves have grown steadily, rising from 5.7 billion dollars in 2022 to 12 billion dollars currently. He said this improvement has resolved the dollar shortages that had previously affected importers and other key sectors of the economy. “At least we can sort the dollar issue,” he remarked.
Ruto recalled that in 2022, Kenya was listed among six countries expected to default on their sovereign debts, but through what he termed as divine grace and strong policy measures, the country was the only one among them that did not default.
“For those of you who follow international financial news, Kenya was among the six countries that everyone thought were going to default in 2022. 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.
According to the President, this resilience has boosted investor confidence and helped Kenya maintain economic stability even during difficult times.
He added that a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed Kenya’s new position as the sixth-largest economy in Africa, overtaking Ethiopia and Angola.
Ruto said this milestone is proof that Kenya’s economy is on the right path and that government policies aimed at fiscal discipline, debt management, and private sector growth are yielding positive results.
He also urged Kenyans in the diaspora to continue investing back home, noting that their remittances remain a major contributor to Kenya’s economic growth.
“Kenya’s progress has not come easy,” Ruto said. “It has taken the cooperation of our people, consistent leadership, and God’s grace to achieve this level of stability.”
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