Economic Survey contradicts some of Ruto’s key economic claims

President William Ruto has consistently cited figures to defend his administration’s economic performance, but the 2026 Economic Survey supports only some of his claims while contradicting others.

In his last State of the Nation Address to Parliament, President Ruto relied heavily on statistics to argue that the economy was on the right path despite criticism from his opponents.

Among the achievements he highlighted was increased maize production and reduced maize flour prices.

“National maize harvests have risen from 44 million bags in 2022 to 67 million in 2024, setting the stage for a historic harvest of 70 million bags this year,” Ruto said during his November 20, 2025, address.

However, the 2026 Economic Survey paints a different picture.

According to the report, maize production only rose marginally in 2025. “Maize production improved by 2.4 per cent to 45.8 million bags,” the survey states.

The report also contradicts the President’s claims on sugar production.

In his address, Ruto said: “The sugar sector, long troubled, is stabilising. Area under cane is up by 200,000 acres, production has surged 76 per cent to over 815,000 metric tonnes.”

“Sugar cane production dropped by 24.7 per cent to 7,051.9 thousand tonnes,” the report states.

Affordable housing, one of the government’s flagship projects, also featured prominently in the President’s address.

“Across the country, we are delivering the most extensive housing rollout in our history: 230,000 affordable homes,” Ruto said at the time.

However, the survey indicates that by December 31, 2025, a total of 205,311 housing units were under construction.

The number of jobs created through the affordable housing programme also differs from the President’s claims.

On December 12, 2025, Ruto said: “Through this programme, more than 480,000 Kenyans have secured jobs and enterprise opportunities across over 300 active sites.”

The latest report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that employment growth in the construction sector was lower than the figure cited by the President.

The survey states that private construction employment increased by 2.1 per cent to 228,200 persons in 2025, while public sector employment rose to 10,100 workers.

However, the report supports some of the President’s claims. It confirms that milk production rose by 3.5 per cent to 5.5 billion litres in 2025.

The survey also shows that the length of paved roads stood at 25,400 kilometres in 2025.

The mixed findings are likely to fuel further debate over the accuracy of government economic data and the administration’s performance claims.