{"id":138490,"date":"2026-04-21T09:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/dont-rely-on-social-media-for-news-about-home-ruto-tells-kenyans-in-rome\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T09:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:02:49","slug":"dont-rely-on-social-media-for-news-about-home-ruto-tells-kenyans-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/dont-rely-on-social-media-for-news-about-home-ruto-tells-kenyans-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Don\u2019t rely on social media for news about home\u2019: Ruto tells Kenyans in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROME, Italy, Apr 21 \u2014 President William Ruto has cautioned Kenyans abroad against relying on social media entirely for news from home due to rampant misinformation, fake news, and manipulated content.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The President said it was necessary for Kenyans living abroad to verify information, saying there was a lot of deliberate misinformation aimed at achieving political and selfish ends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Addressing Kenyans living in Rome, Italy, on Monday evening, he expressed concern over intentional efforts to distort information for political reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go to social media today, you\u2019ll think there is nothing good happening in Kenya. I ask you not to rely on social media for news about home,\u201d President Ruto told the meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The President, who is on a two-day Official Visit to Italy, assured the gathering that the government\u2019s agenda to transform Kenya into a first-world economy is on course despite stiff resistance from critics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy focus is not about the next General Election. I am focused on transforming Kenya,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He pointed out that the country\u2019s transformation agenda has been delayed for long due to poor leadership, saying he has resolved to make difficult decisions that will take the country to the next level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

President Ruto told the gathering that his administration\u2019s handling of the economy had successfully saved Kenya from defaulting on debt obligations even after it had been flagged as high-risk.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The President credited the government\u2019s fiscal discipline and tough decisions for shielding the country from an economic crisis.<\/p>\n

He explained that it had been predicted in 2023 that six African countries, including Kenya, would default on their financial obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people predicted that six countries in Africa would default on debt. Out of the six, five defaulted. Kenya did not,\u201d he told the meeting.<\/p>\n

The President took the opportunity to enumerate the achievements of his administration in the past three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said the implementation of universal health coverage under the Social Health Authority (SHA) has made healthcare accessible, inclusive, and more affordable, to citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we speak, 30.6 million Kenyans have registered with SHA in the past 18 months compared to eight million in the 60 years of the defunct National Health Insurance Fund,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reforms <\/h2>\n

This week, President Ruto announced, SHA will be paying KSh13 billion to hospitals for services provided in March 2026, money equivalent to what the defunct NHIF was collecting in half a year.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the President pointed out that the Affordable Housing Programme is changing the country\u2019s skyline with the construction of close to 270,000 housing units in 210 sites, creating 640,000 jobs, restoring dignity to families, and renewing hope in communities across Kenya.<\/p>\n

Reforms in agriculture, especially the provision of subsidised fertiliser has led to increased production and productivity, he said. Maize production has increased from 44 million bags in 2022 to 70 million bags in 2025, ending perennial national hunger and annual imports.<\/p>\n

Sectors such as coffee and sugar cane, the President pointed out, registered huge growth and higher incomes for farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve restored law and order in the coffee, tea and sugar cane sectors by eliminating cartels who had frustrated farmers\u2019 efforts and produce more for local consumption and surplus for export,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Due to these reforms, the prices of commodities have drastically increased, saying a kilo of coffee cherry now sells at between KShh110 and KSh160 up from an average of KSh60 three years ago.<\/p>\n

In the sugar sector, public factories have been leased to the private sector and farmers are being paid every seven days after cane delivery, workers monthly pay is regular and farmers receive an annual bonus, the first time it has been possible for sugar farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur production of sugar has increased from 500,000 tonnes in 2022 to 815,000 in 2025. In a couple of years, Kenya will be a net exporter of sugar,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, President Ruto assured Kenyans living abroad that the creation of the State Department of Diaspora Affairs was a deliberate resolve to address challenges facing them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Labour agreements<\/h2>\n

On overseas employment, President Ruto said 540,000 Kenyans have found work abroad as a result of the intentional decisions the government has taken.<\/p>\n

He cited a crackdown against unscrupulous recruitment agencies, saying more than 600 rogue companies have been deregistered to protect Kenyans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said the government has also signed bilateral labour agreements with various countries, including Germany, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the United Kingdom, aimed at protecting Kenyans against exploitation, harassment and poor remuneration, and addressing challenges facing them abroad.<\/p>\n

As a result, diaspora remittances have increased from $4 billion in 2022 to $5.2 billion last year. He thanked Kenyans living and working abroad for their immense contribution to the national economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiaspora remittances remain the largest source of foreign exchange in the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He urged Kenyans to respect the laws of the countries where they live and continue to be good ambassadors of their motherland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who is also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said President Ruto\u2019s administration was committed to addressing challenges facing Kenyans abroad.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that the establishment of the State Department of Diaspora Affairs as well as the recent appointment of an Ambassador to the Vatican is a clear demonstration that the government is committed to improving how it relates to citizens in the diaspora.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in the history of Kenya, the country will have a representative at the Vatican. This has been long overdue, but an envoy has been posted to the Holy See,\u201d Mr Mudavadi said.<\/p>\n

Equity Group CEO James Mwangi, who was part of the Kenyan business delegation accompanying the President, encouraged Kenyans in the diaspora to invest in Kenya to drive economic growth and strengthen national development.<\/p>\n

He urged them to exploit potential in the leather and the coffee industries, noting that trade and investments remain the only options for prosperity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must agree in commercialisation and modernisation if we are to succeed in business,\u201d Dr Mwangi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kenyans in Italy Chairman Rollex Onyango commended the government for the creation of the State Department of Diaspora Affairs, saying it is addressing challenges facing Kenyans outside their country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cabinet Secretaries Lee Kinyanjui (Investment and Trade) and John Mugaa (Water and Irrigation), several Principal Secretaries and Kenya Ambassador to Italy Fredrick Matwang\u2019a were present.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ROME, Italy, Apr 21 \u2014 President William Ruto has cautioned Kenyans abroad against relying on social media entirely for news from home due to rampant misinformation, fake news, and manipulated content. The President said it was necessary for Kenyans living abroad to verify information, saying there was a lot of deliberate misinformation aimed at achieving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138490\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}