President Ruto Meets with Former President Kenyatta

President Ruto Meets with Former President Kenyatta at Gatundu Family Home

Gatundu, Kenya – December 9, 2024: In a significant gesture of unity and collaboration, His Excellency President William Ruto today visited former President Uhuru Kenyatta at his family home in Gatundu. The meeting, marked by cordiality and mutual respect, saw the two leaders discussing various issues of national and regional importance.

During the visit, President Ruto took the opportunity to express his deep appreciation for President Kenyatta’s statesmanship, particularly in overseeing the peaceful transfer of power following the 2022 elections. President Ruto commended Kenyatta’s continued goodwill towards fellow leaders and his unwavering support for Kenya’s progress and development.

Addressing Global Challenges

Both leaders acknowledged the myriad challenges currently facing the global community, including Kenya. They attributed these difficulties to the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine which has destabilized supply chains and led to high commodity prices, particularly for fertilizer and wheat, as well as volatile currency markets and a harsh macroeconomic climate. Despite these hurdles, they noted significant progress in mitigating these impacts, such as reducing inflation to its lowest level in the past decade, significantly lowering food prices, stabilizing the Kenyan shilling, and reducing interest rates.

Building on a Strong Foundation

President Ruto thanked President Kenyatta for laying a robust foundation that has enabled the current government to implement key programs under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. These initiatives aim to transform agriculture to ensure food security, achieve universal health coverage, provide affordable housing, empower MSMEs, develop transport and communication infrastructure, complete last-mile electrification, and reform the Competency-Based Curriculum and the education sector in general. Both leaders agreed on the urgent need to accelerate these programs to boost household incomes and create more opportunities for Kenyans.

Promoting Unity and Collaboration

The leaders emphasized the importance of fostering a nationalistic, patriotic, and harmonious working relationship among all Kenyans and stakeholders, including the three arms of government, religious leaders, civil society, and other partners. They underscored that such collaboration is essential for collective national stability and progress.

Inclusive Political Consensus and Regional Stability

Additionally, the leaders appreciated the necessity of achieving broader and more inclusive political consensus in governance to accelerate inclusive growth and fulfill the national development agenda. They also acknowledged Kenya’s pivotal role in promoting peace and security in the East African region through diplomatic and peace-support initiatives. President Ruto praised President Kenyatta for his patriotism and tireless contributions to peace-making efforts in the region.

Future Engagements and Festive Wishes

President Ruto and President Kenyatta called for the prompt resolution of court matters regarding the constitution of the IEBC selection panel to facilitate the appointment of commissioners. They also urged Kenyans, friends of Kenya, and international partners to support the candidacy of Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga for the position of Chair of the African Union Commission.

The leaders committed to maintaining regular engagements on matters of national importance alongside other leaders and stakeholders. They concluded the meeting by extending their warm wishes to all Kenyans, wishing them happy holidays as the festive season approaches.

This meeting marks a significant step towards fostering unity and collective progress in Kenya, setting a positive tone for future collaborations.