Ruto Pledges Cheaper Fertiliser to Aid Farmers
President William Ruto has vowed to reduce the cost of fertiliser so that farmers can return to their fields during the coming short rains and restore food production after widespread crop losses.
Addressing worshippers at ACK Church Moiben in Uasin Gishu County, he noted that many growers had suffered total failure when the expected rains did not arrive. He encouraged them to seize the seasonal window running from this month through December to plant again and safeguard the food supply of the country.
The president announced that from next year both fertiliser and seed prices would be lowered as part of a broader effort to support agriculture. He stressed the need for higher output to prevent hunger in the months ahead. “The government will intervene to ensure farmers produce more,” Ruto said, framing the price cuts as a practical step to ease the burden on producers still recovering from the recent setbacks.
Ruto also used the occasion to defend his planned Vision 2060, explaining that the current Vision 2030 introduced under former President Mwai Kibaki is nearing its end. He argued that a new long-term framework is necessary and should be grounded in the 2010 Constitution. “Kibaki’s Vision 2030 was launched before the 2010 Constitution, and my Vision 2060 will enable us to operationalise chapters of the 2010 Constitution,” he stated.
He insisted that the process must involve open national dialogue rather than closed-door decisions and invited citizens to contribute their ideas. The president dismissed criticism from opposition figures who have rejected the consultations, questioning their reluctance to take part in public participation. He maintained that the initiative has no connection to the next general election and accused his opponents of offering no alternative vision for the country.
By linking immediate agricultural relief with longer-term planning, Ruto sought to present a dual approach that addresses today’s hardships while mapping out future development. The fertiliser pledge is intended to give farmers concrete support as they prepare for the short rains, while the vision process is positioned as a structured conversation about the direction the country should take in the decades ahead.
