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The President defends his austere fiscal policies, citing new IMF data that shows Kenya’s GDP has swelled to $136 billion, overtaking peers in the continental ranking.

President William Ruto has claimed vindication for his controversial economic shock therapy, declaring that Kenya has risen to become the sixth-largest economy in Africa. Speaking at State House, Nairobi, the Head of State cited fresh data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to show that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has expanded to $136 billion (approx. Ksh 17.6 trillion).
The ascent from the 8th position three years ago is a significant milestone, but it has come at a steep political and social cost. Ruto, who has faced street protests and criticism over high taxes, argued that the alternative was a total economic collapse akin to what has been witnessed in other African nations.
"Three years ago, we were ranked 8th with a GDP of $115 billion," Ruto told the gathered security chiefs. "Today, we are 6th. This steep rise is not accidental; it is the product of deliberate choices."
The President listed the removal of fuel subsidies, the aggressive tightening of the tax net, and the successful buyback of the Eurobond as the "bitter pills" that cured the patient. He revealed that foreign exchange reserves, which had dwindled to a perilous $5.7 billion, have now rebounded to a historic high of $12.1 billion.
While the macro numbers look rosy in the boardroom, the challenge for Ruto remains translating these billions of dollars into cheaper unga and jobs for the youth. Being the 6th largest economy is a point of pride, but for the average Kenyan, the true measure of success is the price of goods on the shelf.
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