By Wasike Elvis

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has defended the Kenya Kwanza administration’s record, highlighting what he described as significant progress in the implementation of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party’s 2022 manifesto.

Speaking in Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, on Saturday, September 12, 2026, Kindiki said the government had made progress in stabilising the economy while investing heavily in agriculture, education, healthcare, roads, housing and youth employment.

He said the Kenyan shilling had remained relatively stable at about KSh129 against the US dollar for the past three years, compared with about KSh165 in 2022.

Kindiki also cited reductions in the cost of agricultural inputs, saying the price of a 50-kilogramme bag of fertiliser had fallen from KSh7,000 in 2022 to KSh2,000, while certified seed prices had been reduced by half.

He said the price of sexed semen for artificial insemination had also dropped from KSh8,000 to KSh1,400 per dose, while coffee prices had risen from KSh50 to KSh140 per kilogramme and milk prices from KSh35 to KSh52 per litre.

On education, Kindiki said the government had increased the education budget from KSh500 billion in 2022 to KSh784 billion in the current financial year.

He cited the employment of 100,000 teachers, construction of 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 laboratories as some of the administration’s achievements.

The Deputy President also pointed to reforms in tertiary education, saying student enrolment had increased from 297,000 in 2022 to 718,000 currently.

On healthcare, Kindiki said the Social Health Authority (SHA) had enrolled 32 million people, compared with the eight million people previously covered by the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

He added that 107,000 Community Health Promoters had been deployed and equipped with basic diagnostic equipment, while the government continued to install modern diagnostic equipment in Level 2 to Level 6 hospitals.

Kindiki said Embu Level 5 Hospital was among 15 hospitals across the country earmarked for upgrades.

On infrastructure, he said road construction had resumed nationwide after the government cleared outstanding debts owed to contractors.

In Embu County alone, Kindiki said 11 new roads covering 425 kilometres were under construction at a combined cost of KSh20 billion.

The Deputy President also highlighted the government's housing programme, saying the Housing Fund had facilitated the construction of 270,000 housing units, 500 fresh produce markets and 177,000 student hostel beds, with the projects cumulatively valued at about KSh800 billion.

On sports and youth empowerment, Kindiki said Talanta Stadium had been completed while construction of 33 other stadiums was ongoing across the country.

He said the facilities would provide young people with opportunities to develop their talents and earn livelihoods from sports.

Kindiki also cited the NYOTA programme, which provides non-refundable support of KSh50,000 to selected young people to expand their micro-businesses.

He said each electoral ward would have 70 beneficiaries under the programme.

The Deputy President further said government employment initiatives, including the Affordable Housing Programme, overseas employment opportunities under Kazi Majuu, digital jobs under Kazi Mtandaoni and Climate Worx, had collectively provided opportunities for about two million young people who were not gainfully engaged in 2022.

Kindiki made the remarks while meeting more than 15,000 UDA polling centre officials from across Embu County.

He congratulated the officials on their election earlier in the year and briefed them on what he described as the status of implementation of the party’s manifesto.

The Deputy President urged the officials to defend the government's record while countering what he termed lies, propaganda and misinformation from political opponents.

He also asked them to prepare for next month's party elections, which will involve the selection of ward-level UDA officials across the country.

Kindiki's remarks come as the ruling party intensifies its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 General Election, with the administration increasingly putting its development record at the centre of its political messaging.