President William Ruto has reaffirmed that the country’s economy is on the right track, citing measures his administration is undertaking to spur growth and stabilize key sectors.

Speaking on Tuesday December 12, 2025, when he received the Jukwaa La Usalama report at Statehouse in Nairobi, President Ruto stated that the stable economy is the result of the tough and unpopular decisions he made upon assuming office.

Ruto further noted that the choices carry long-term benefits, “outweighing the short-term difficulties.”

“I can confidently tell you today that our economy is on sound footing. As the leader of Kenya, I must make decisions that may not be popular or easy at the moment, but their long-term benefits outweigh the short-term difficulties,” President Ruto said.

While highlighting the successes of his administrations, he asserted that Kenya has recorded its highest dollar reserve ever, now standing at $12.1 billion.

Ruto insisted that his prudent decisions on debt repayment enabled Kenya to be ranked the sixth largest economy in Africa, overtaking Ethiopia and Angola. He added that the “painful policies” helped the country avoid default despite being predicted as part of six countries to default.

“Today, Kenya has the highest dollar reserves in its history, at $12.1 billion. The IMF has announced that Kenya has overtaken Angola and Ethiopia to become the 6th largest economy in Africa. Our credit rating has also improved from B- to B. You don’t transform a country by making popular, easy, decisions,” Ruto stated.

According to data and projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, Kenya is the sixth largest economy with its GDP in current dollars ($1=Ksh.129) is expected to be $140 billion (Ksh18 trillion) by 2026, up from $136 billion (Ksh.17.5 trillion) in 2025.

Kenya was also recently ranked the most competitive economy in Africa in the 2025 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking.