President William Ruto revealed the challenges he faces while communicating national policies, explaining that he often repeats himself because he finds it difficult to ensure the public has grasped crucial information.
The President shared these candid remarks while attending a Thanksgiving service at the Africa Inland Church (AIC) in Marsabit County.
The event marked the 60th anniversary of the AIC church’s mission in the region, providing a platform for the President to celebrate the church’s contributions to health, education, and community development across Marsabit.
Mr Ruto also personally confirmed that he is a product of a Christian upbringing.
The Frustration of Communication
The President openly discussed his difficulties in ensuring that citizens fully understand government directives, especially regarding new social schemes.
“You know I struggle a lot with these Kenyans; you tell them things, you think they’ve heard, but they haven’t heard, that’s why you see me repeating myself, I don’t know if we have understood each other”.
He noted that sometimes, despite communicating information, citizens often appear to have missed the message. This apparent struggle to connect drives his use of repetition.
Health Scheme Uptake Reveals Resistance
This struggle was immediately illustrated by the low uptake of the new government-backed health insurance scheme (SHA) in Marsabit.
The President urged citizens to register for the scheme, which
is intended to ensure every Kenyan has access to healthcare as mandated by Article 43 of the Constitution.
The SHA scheme aims to prevent citizens from having to hold fundraisers (harambes) or sell assets like cattle or land to cover hospital bills.
Once registered, citizens can seek treatment at any public, private, or AIC hospital, with the Government covering the costs.
However, the registration rate remains worryingly low in Marsabit.
“I saw the statistics for the citizens who have registered in Marsabit: 110 citizens. Marsabit is county number 44 out of 47″.
He stressed that registration requires no payment from the citizen. The President mandated that even if a patient arrives at a hospital—including the AIC hospital—without having registered, they must be registered immediately before being treated.
Key Development Pledges for Marsabit
During the service, the President reiterated his commitment to development, assuring the residents that Marsabit will not be marginalized.
He assured the local leaders that he would return to the county in the next two months to spend several days planning development projects.
The President highlighted several ongoing projects and allocations:
• Electricity: KES 1.66 billion has been allocated for mini-grids to extend electricity coverage in Marsabit County.
• Infrastructure: Nationally, the government plans to establish a National Infrastructure Fund, committing KES 1.5 trillion to permanently resolve road network issues across Kenya.
• Education: Nationally, the
government has constructed 23,000 classrooms in the last three years and is hiring 20,000 more teachers soon, adding to the 76,000 already hired, to ensure equity in learning.
• Youth Programmes: The government is targeting youth through four main programmes, including the Digital Jobs programme, which has so far employed 200,000 young people, and the export of labour programme, which has seen 430,000 Kenyans employed outside the country.
The President concluded by thanking the community and assuring them of the government’s commitment to providing services, including issuing identity cards without charge.
BY moses sagwe
