Speech by His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto, Phd., C.G.H on Mashujaa Day October 20, 2023

Abstract

President William Ruto’s 2023 Mashujaa Day speech celebrates Kenya’s heroes—both historical freedom fighters and modern-day citizens—emphasising that national progress continues to depend on the everyday acts of diligence, creativity, and enterprise by ordinary Kenyans. He frames the “call to Ushujaa” as a call to empower individuals through innovative, citizen-centred government services, with Universal Health Coverage as a central pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Ruto outlines sweeping health sector reforms, including 100,000 Community Health Promoters, digital health systems, new health laws, and the shift to preventive, publicly financed healthcare. The President also highlights major gains in agriculture through subsidised fertiliser, expanded acreage, and edible oil crop support; rapid digitisation of public services; investments in fibre infrastructure and WiFi hotspots; historic teacher recruitment; expanded TVET and higher education funding reforms; and the transformative potential of affordable housing for job creation. He concludes by celebrating outstanding Kenyan achievers and urging the nation to embrace enterprise, innovation, and shared responsibility as the drivers of Kenya’s future.