WRITTEN ON APRIL 9, 2024

President William Ruto, during the 24th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in Nairobi, addressed the pressing issue of unemployment in Kenya. He pledged to intensify efforts to reduce youth unemployment by leveraging initiatives like the Housing project, which is expected to create job opportunities for 140,000 youths initially, with a projected increase to 500,000 next year. “We have plans to create job opportunities to youths through the housing program which will hold about 140,000 young people. We are also hoping to increase the number to even half of a million.” He said.

President William Ruto giving a speech during tthe marking of PCEA’s 24th general meeting. Photo courtesy

Ruto also emphasized the inclusion of youths in digital jobs and exploring opportunities for labor exportation to other countries to address this challenge effectively.

According to him, Drug and Substance abuse is the main result of unemployment and health therefore he called the public to join hands in supporting the upcoming projects as they control the unemployment issue.

Ruto outlined plans to enhance the quality of healthcare services through the introduction of the Digital Health Bill. This initiative aims to streamline healthcare delivery and address issues such as delays in reimbursements by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) as  highlighted by the Kenya Association of Private Hospitals.

The association reported significant delays in NHIF reimbursements, amounting to a total debt of Ksh 6.1 billion, including Ksh 2.3 billion for general claims, Ksh 2 billion for the Linda Mama program, and Ksh 1.8 billion for outpatient claims.

Written by Mapenzi Kitsao.