President William Ruto has defended his administration’s youth empowerment agenda, citing tangible employment figures drawn from several flagship government programmes.
In a firm statement on Thursday, the President challenged the opposition to present a clear, constructive plan for youth employment rather than inciting unrest.
“We challenge our competitors to lay bare their plan for empowering our youth,” he said. “It is a fact: we have a solid and credible plan on youth employment.”
Since assuming office in September 2022, President Ruto’s administration has rolled out several major programmes aimed at creating jobs for young people across Kenya.
According to the President, labour mobility partnerships with countries such as Germany and Saudi Arabia have resulted in over 400,000 young Kenyans securing employment abroad.
Additionally, the Affordable Housing Programme launched in December 2022 has so far created 320,000 job opportunities across the country, particularly benefiting artisans, plumbers, masons, and other skilled workers in the informal sector.
Another key initiative is the Climate WorX programme, which began in 2023 under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry. This project has employed 200,000 youth in climate resilience efforts, including tree planting, environmental conservation, and renewable energy projects.
The programme forms part of Kenya’s broader plan to meet its climate obligations and achieve 15 billion trees by 2032.
Speaking during an inspection tour in Dandora, Embakasi West, President Ruto reviewed the progress of the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Project, a key urban renewal and environmental rehabilitation initiative launched in 2023.
He announced that the project has already created 20,000 jobs for youth in Nairobi and an additional 20,000 positions will be opened starting Monday next week.
“These jobs are not just numbers; they represent a real shift in how we approach youth empowerment with dignity, purpose, and impact,” Ruto stated.
He criticized the opposition’s recent political mobilization of young people, warning that encouraging youth to cause chaos is not a substitute for economic opportunity.
“The alternative plan in the transformation of Kenya cannot be inciting young people to cause havoc in the country,” he said.
With rising unemployment and economic pressures, youth remain a key demographic in Kenya’s political and development agenda. President Ruto’s remarks serve both as a defence of his administration’s record and a political jab at his critics ahead of anticipated political activity in the coming months.
