Thank you very much, Honourable Speakers of the National Assembly and the Senate,

Honourable Members of both Houses,

Chief Justice and the Leadership of the Judiciary,

Cabinet Secretaries, Your Excellencies, distinguished guests,

Fellow Kenyans, ladies and gentlemen.

Two years ago, when I delivered my first State of the Nation Address,

I came with a vision to sell.

Today, I come with a story to tell.

This is not a story written in quiet offices or comfortable boardrooms.

It is written in the blazing sun on our farms,

in the dust of construction sites where affordable homes now rise,

and in the determined stride of our community health promoters, doctors, and nurses who refuse to give up on universal health coverage.

It is written in the steady hands of workers in our factories,

in the courage of millions who borrow from the Hustler Fund to finance their dreams,

in the sweat of young people building houses, restoring rivers, and working in the digital economy,

and in the bravery of those who have gone abroad to support their families back home.

This is a story of sacrifice.

A story of sweat.

A story of progress that has not come easily.

You can see it in the numbers.

You can feel it in the homes.

You can trace it in lives transformed across our Republic.

Today, the evidence is clear: promises made, promises kept.

In just three years, we have built foundations of progress, not monuments of words.

And yet, I am convinced this is only the beginning.

As I prepared this address, I reflected on our 62-year journey as an independent nation —

a journey of struggle, sacrifice, hardship, triumph, and milestones that affirm our spirit.

One truth stands out:

We have made commendable progress, but Kenya still punches way below its true weight.

This nation has the talent, the resources, and the spirit not just to improve — but to leap —

to make the transition from a developing to a developed country within our lifetime.

That is why I speak today with full conviction:

History has summoned our generation to a higher purpose.

Some eras are shaped by events.

Others are defined by the decisions a nation makes.

Today, Kenya is called to make such a decision —

to finish the journey our forebears began and turn our long-held potential into lived reality.

To do this, we must cast off the mindset of being content with average.

We must step beyond the comfort of the familiar and reach — with courage, clarity, and conviction — for nothing less than excellence and greatness.

As we review the achievements of the past three years — results that have laid a firm foundation for equality of opportunity and a nation where no one is left behind —

I will also place before you a realistic, grounded national project that is entirely within our reach:

A vision not just to grow, but to transform.

A roadmap not merely to move forward, but to rise.

To rise from developing to developed.

To rise from potential to reality.

To rise from promise to prosperity.

To rise from the third world to the first.

To finally become the Kenya we have long imagined — the Kenya we deserve.

For too long, our ambition was held hostage by small thinking.

That era must now be confined to the past.

We stand on the threshold of something far greater —

a moment our parents dreamed of and our children yearn for.

We will accomplish it in our lifetime.

This is achievable because others have done it before us.

I have often spoken of the Asian Tigers: South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia —

countries that, at independence, were our peers in almost every measure.

They had no extraordinary resources.

They were not superhuman.

They simply made bold, disciplined, deliberate choices.

They invested in their people.

They demanded excellence.

They refused to be trapped by the limitations of their circumstances.

Today, they are first-world economies.

If they could rise, so can Kenya.

It can be done.

Let me repeat: It can be done.

The Last Three Years: From Distress to Recovery

When we took office in 2022, Kenya was in distress:

• Inflation neared double digits.
• Fuel shortages threatened the economy.
• The shilling was in free fall.
• Foreign reserves were at historic lows.
• Debt service consumed over half our revenue.
• International analysts warned default was imminent.

We acted decisively:

• Restored fiscal discipline.
• Eliminated wasteful subsidies.
• Rationalized public spending.
• Strengthened revenue collection.

Results:

• Inflation fell from 9.6% in 2022 to 4.6% last month.
• The shilling has stabilized at around 129 to the dollar for nearly two years.
• We successfully redeemed the Eurobond.
• GDP grew from $115 billion to $136 billion — moving Kenya from 8th to 6th largest economy in Africa.
• Foreign reserves now exceed $12 billion — the highest in our history.
• FDI more than tripled from $463 million (2021) to $1.5 billion (2024).
• Over 300 new businesses, including 500 foreign companies, have set up in Kenya.
• The Nairobi Securities Exchange is one of the best-performing emerging markets globally — investor wealth up by over KSh 1 trillion since January 2025.
• Standard & Poor’s upgraded Kenya’s credit rating from B− to B — the first upgrade in years.

The world sees it.

Leading financial institutions project 5–5.8% growth in 2026.

Our economy is strengthening.

Our prospects are brightening.

Confidence in Kenya is rising.

Agriculture: From Food Insecurity to Surplus

We chose to subsidize production, not consumption.

Key actions:

• Launched a digital farmer registry — from <300,000 farmers in 2022 to over 7.1 million today.
• Distributed over 21 million bags of subsidized fertilizer — saving farmers KSh 105 billion.
• Distributed 7 million bags this year and 35 million kilos of certified seed.
• Plan: 12.5 million bags in 2026.

Results:

• Maize harvest rose from 44 million bags (2022) to 67 million (2024) → projected 70 million this year.
• Unga (2kg) price down from KSh 250 to as low as KSh 130.
• Tea earnings: KSh 138B → KSh 215B (+56%).
• Coffee farmer earnings per kilo: KSh 70 → KSh 120–150.
• Edible oils acreage up 90% → import bill cut by KSh 17 billion in one year.
• Cotton production nearly tripled.
• Sugar production up 76%, imports down 70%.
• Livestock and dairy exports surging.
• 8 million animals vaccinated, 94 million vaccine doses produced.

We are enhancing food security, raising farmer incomes, and expanding exports.

Healthcare: Toward Universal Coverage

• 27 million Kenyans now registered with Social Health Authority (SHA) — triple the reach of NHIF.
• Over 10,000 health facilities enrolled.
• Deployed 107,000 Community Health Promoters — the largest primary healthcare workforce in our history.

Impact so far:

• 8.9 million households visited.
• 9.9 million diabetes screenings → 134,000 diagnosed.
• 6.5 million hypertension screenings → 305,000 confirmed.

We now pay SHA premiums for 2.3 million vulnerable Kenyans.

Modernized hospital equipment through a “fee-for-service” model.

Cancer drug availability: 48% → 68% → targeting 100% by March 2026.

Cancer benefit package increased from KSh 550,000 to KSh 800,000 from December 1, 2025.

This is equity in action.

This is leaving no Kenyan behind.

Education: The Great Equalizer

• Introduced student-centered funding model — nearly 500,000 students benefited.
• Hired 76,000 teachers; another 24,000 by January → 100,000 new teachers in 3 years (unprecedented).
• Built 23,000 new classrooms; 1,600 labs under construction.
• TVET enrollment: 341,000 (2022) → 718,000 today.

Every child now has a real chance to rise.

Affordable Housing & Urban Renewal

• 230,000 affordable housing units under construction or completed.
• 178,000 student housing beds packaged (74,000 under construction).
• 270 modern markets + 175 more underway.
• Nairobi River Regeneration: 44,000 youth employed, 10,000 social homes planned.
• Total jobs created so far: over 428,000 → heading to 1 million at peak.

This is more than housing — it is a national empowerment engine.

Hustler Fund & MSME Support

• Over KSh 80 billion disbursed to 7 million Kenyans.
• 7 million previously blacklisted citizens have repaired their credit.
• 3 million now banked; 2 million frequent borrowers.
• Hustler Fund Bridge: 800,000 entrepreneurs accessing up to KSh 150,000 without collateral.

Digital Transformation

• Fiber optic expanded by 24,000 km.
• Public Wi-Fi hotspots: 0 → nearly 1,500.
• 300 digital hubs built, 400 more coming.
• eCitizen services: <400 → 22,500.
• 2 million youth trained in digital skills.
• 300,000 now earning online.

The Next Level: Four National Priorities

We will not settle for modest progress.

Comfort is how nations stall.

The Asian Tigers did not rise by accident.

They chose ambition, discipline, and excellence.

Kenya must now do the same.

I am therefore submitting a roadmap built on four major national priorities:

1. Relentless investment in our people

• Education, STEM, science, research, and innovation.
• Increase R&D funding from 0.8% to 2% of GDP (KSh 1 trillion over 10 years).
• Dedicated State Department for Science, Research & Innovation.

1. Turn Kenya from net importer to net exporter

• End KSh 500 billion annual food import bill.
• Build at least 50 mega dams + hundreds of medium and small dams.
• Bring 2.5 million additional acres under irrigation in 5–7 years.
• Transform arid and semi-arid lands into food baskets.

1. Generate abundant, reliable, affordable energy

• Add 10,000 MW in the next 7 years.
• Leverage geothermal, solar, hydro, wind, and nuclear.

1. World-class transport and logistics

• Dual 2,500 km of highways and tarmac 28,000 km in 10 years.
• Extend SGR from Naivasha → Kisumu → Malaba (starts January 2026).
• Modernize JKIA, Moi International, and Kisumu airports via PPP.
• Resolve Kenya Airways challenges by next year.

These four priorities will cost at least KSh 5 trillion.

We will finance them sustainably through two new vehicles:

• The National Infrastructure Fund
• Proceeds from privatization will be ring-fenced and reinvested (not absorbed into recurrent budget).
• Every KSh 1 from privatization will attract KSh 10 from pension funds, sovereign partners, and private capital.
• The Sovereign Wealth Fund
• Portion of royalties and privatization proceeds saved for future generations.
• Three pillars: Savings | Stabilization | Infrastructure.

We will not repeat past mistakes where resource wealth left nothing for the future.

Conclusion

Leadership is not judged by visions spoken, but by actions taken and impact delivered.

Let history record that this generation refused to be timid.

That we chose ambition over fear, action over excuses, and progress over the false comfort of low expectations.

When Kenya stood at the crossroads, we chose the higher path.

The work ahead is formidable.

But so is the Kenyan spirit.

This is our moment to rise.

I now submit to Parliament the three constitutional reports:

1. Progress in realization of national values.
2. Fulfillment of Kenya’s international obligations.
3. The state of security in the country.

Thank you.

God bless you.

God bless Kenya.