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RUTO SAYS HIS GOVERNMENT HAS FULFILLED ITS PROMISES — WHAT DOES THE RECORD SHOW?

President William Ruto has repeatedly defended his administration's record, arguing that his government has delivered on the promises it made to Kenyans when it came to power in 2022.

The President has maintained that his administration is implementing its development agenda and that Kenyans can judge his government by the projects, policies and programmes already being implemented across the country.

But while the government highlights its achievements, an independent assessment of Kenya Kwanza's promises presents a more complicated picture.

WHAT DOES THE INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOW?

The Mzalendo Promise Tracker, an independent Kenyan parliamentary monitoring initiative, is tracking 254 Kenya Kwanza promises.

According to the latest tracker, 25 promises have been honoured, 150 are ongoing, 41 are classified as broken, 19 have not been started, 15 are stalled and four have been modified.

That means only about 9.8 per cent of the 254 promises currently tracked by Mzalendo are classified as honoured. Mzalendo also makes clear that its classifications are evidence-based assessments by its researchers and are not official government determinations.

The figures therefore do not mean that the government has achieved nothing. Instead, they show that a large proportion of the commitments being monitored remain either in progress, incomplete or disputed.

THE COST-OF-LIVING TEST

One of the biggest tests of the government's record is the economic situation facing ordinary households.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that Kenya's annual inflation rate rose to 6.6 per cent in August 2026, up from 6.5 per cent in July.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded a 9.0 per cent year-on-year increase, while transport costs rose by 15.7 per cent.

Although inflation alone cannot determine whether government economic policies have succeeded or failed, the figures demonstrate that households continue to face significant price pressures.

For a government elected partly on promises to improve the economic fortunes of ordinary Kenyans, the cost of living remains an important measure of whether those promises are being felt beyond official government statistics.

PUBLIC CONFIDENCE REMAINS ANOTHER CHALLENGE

Economic performance is also reflected in public opinion.

A TIFA Research survey reported in September 2026 found that 76 per cent of Kenyans believed the country was moving in the wrong direction, while about 15 per cent said it was moving in the right direction.

Such findings do not prove that every government programme has failed. However, they demonstrate a significant gap between the administration's message about its achievements and how a substantial section of the public perceives the country's direction.

THERE HAVE BEEN ACHIEVEMENTS

It would also be inaccurate to suggest that the Ruto administration has accomplished nothing.

The government can point to ongoing infrastructure projects, affordable housing initiatives, health-sector reforms, agricultural programmes, digital government services and other development programmes as evidence of implementation.

The Mzalendo tracker itself records 25 promises as honoured and 150 as ongoing. This means the independent assessment does acknowledge that some commitments have been completed and that many others are being implemented.

The real disagreement is therefore not whether the government has done anything, but whether its achievements justify the broader claim that it has fulfilled its promises.

THE PROMISES THAT REMAIN UNDER SCRUTINY

The Mzalendo tracker continues to identify promises that have not been completed.

Its latest records include commitments classified as not started, stalled, broken or ongoing. The tracker also continues to monitor new commitments announced by President Ruto in 2026.

For example, Mzalendo's current records include new government commitments relating to education, healthcare and infrastructure, showing that the administration continues to make and pursue additional promises even as earlier commitments remain under assessment.

This makes the question of delivery more complicated than simply counting government projects.

A promise can be announced, funded and partially implemented without necessarily being fully delivered.

SO, HAS RUTO FULFILLED ALL HIS PROMISES?

The available evidence does not support a simple "yes" or "no."

The government has clearly implemented programmes and completed some commitments. President Ruto is therefore entitled to highlight those achievements.

However, the independent Mzalendo assessment shows that the majority of the 254 promises it tracks are not yet classified as honoured. At the same time, official KNBS data shows continued pressure on household prices, while recent TIFA polling points to widespread dissatisfaction with the country's direction.

The evidence therefore suggests a government with measurable achievements, but also a substantial number of unfinished or disputed commitments.

Ultimately, whether President Ruto has delivered on his promises is a political question that will be judged not only by government scorecards, but also by Kenyans who experience the results of those policies in their daily lives.

As the country moves closer to the 2027 General Election, the debate over delivery is likely to become even more important.

For President Ruto, the question will no longer simply be what his government says it has achieved.

The bigger question will be whether enough Kenyans believe those achievements have translated into meaningful improvements in their lives.