President William Ruto is set to deliver his second State of the Nation address before a joint session of parliament on Thursday, according to an announcement by Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula.
Wetang’ula made the announcement Monday before the National Assembly adjourned for a short recess, saying Ruto intends to address lawmakers in accordance with Article 132 of the constitution requiring the president to speak before parliament annually.
The speech comes as Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza ruling coalition continues bipartisan talks with the opposition Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition on outstanding constitutional matters including electoral justice, entrenching state offices and multiparty democracy reforms.
Ruto is expected to highlight progress made in the coalition talks as well as his administration’s fulfillment of national values under Article 10. He will also submit a report on Kenya’s progress meeting international treaty obligations.
The 10-member dialogue team has for the last several months been deliberating on a five-point agenda comprising constitutional matters, electoral justice, entrenching funds, establishment of state offices and fidelity to political parties.
Another key issue will be the National Security Council’s recent request for parliamentary approval to deploy Kenyan police officers on a U.N. security mission in Haiti. The deployment request has been referred to security committees in both houses of parliament.
Ruto’s address comes as Kenya grapples with rising inflation, growing public debt and the effects of a crippling drought that has left over 4 million people facing hunger.
Once every year, the president is expected to report on all measures taken and progress achieved in realizing national values and publish details of the measures and progress.
The State of the Nation speech allows the president to address lawmakers and the nation on the administration’s key priorities and vision for the country. Ruto is expected to strike an upbeat tone touting achievements while acknowledging challenges.
