Speech by His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto, Phd., C.G.H on Madaraka Day June 1, 2024

Abstract

President William Ruto’s 2024 Madaraka Day address, delivered in Bungoma County, celebrates Kenya’s 61-year journey of self-rule by honouring the sacrifices of freedom fighters and reaffirming the nation’s shared values of unity, hard work, and bottom-up nation-building. He frames agriculture as the central engine of Kenya’s economic transformation—contributing directly and indirectly over half of the GDP—and highlights major government interventions across key value chains including sugar, coffee, cotton, edible oils, dairy, and livestock to boost productivity, incomes, and food security. Ruto outlines substantial investments in irrigation, climate resilience, farmer databases, fertilizer subsidies, value addition, and livestock reforms, while emphasising a shift from consumption subsidies to production support. He further underscores commitments to regional and global market access through trade agreements, and concludes by urging Kenyans to embrace ambition, uphold Madaraka’s spirit of dignity and effort, and work collectively toward shared national prosperity.