Kenya’s National Unity and Regional Integration: Challenges of Inclusion, Growth and Change

HE William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, reflects on the challenges of managing change in a diverse country, and the outlook ahead for both Kenya and the wider region.

Research event Recording
8 February 2019 — 12:00PM TO 1:00PM
Chatham House, London, UK

As Kenya approaches the end of the first decade since it adopted a new constitution in 2010, establishing a comprehensive picture of the political and economic implications of these sweeping reforms remains challenging.

While devolution has created a structure of 47 county-level administrations that can support broader enterprise, investment, job creation and revenue generation, a number of county governments have struggled to generate expected revenues.

At the national level, estimated GDP growth of 5.9 per cent in 2018 signals Kenya’s diverse economy and integral position within the East African Community (EAC), but concerns have been raised regarding slow progress in reducing the fiscal deficit.

With recent calls for a referendum on further constitutional reforms reflecting a divisive issue for many Kenyans, it is critical that the lessons learned from the past decade inform the country’s next steps.

At this event, HE William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, reflects on the challenges of managing change in a diverse country, and the outlook ahead for both Kenya and the wider region.

Read transcript

Participants

HE Dr William Ruto, Deputy President, Republic of Kenya
Chair: Dr. Nabeel Goheer, Assistant Secretary-General, Commonwealth Secretariat

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