President William Ruto has been honoured with the 2026 Continental Leadership Award for Visionary Governance and Human Capital Transformation at the Africa Public Sector Conference and Awards (APSCA), held in Accra, Ghana.

The award was received on his behalf by Deputy Head of the Public Service Amos Gathecha, who led Kenya's delegation to the event, according to the Kenya News Agency (KNA), whose report on October 19, 2026 was also carried by Taarifa Rwanda and Kenya Today.

The event

APSCA 2026 ran from October 14 to 16 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, with the awards gala held on the closing night, according to the conference's website. The event is run by InstinctWave Group, a private conference organiser, and brings together public sector officials from across the continent to discuss governance and service delivery before presenting awards in a range of categories.

Gathecha said the honours reflected deliberate reforms aimed at improving public sector performance and service delivery, KNA reported.

Kenya's haul

KNA said Kenyan officers and institutions won 23 awards at the gala. They included:

  • Amos Gathecha: Public Service and Smart Governance Leader of the Year
  • National Land Commission CEO Kabale Tache: Public Sector CEO of the Year, with the commission also recognised for customer service and community engagement
  • Kenya National Highways Authority: Sustainable Public Sector Project of the Year, while Director-General Eng Luka Kipchumba Kimeli was named Road Infrastructure Delivery Leader of the Year
  • Agriculture and Food Authority: Innovative Agri-Food Agency of the Year, with Director-General Dr Bruno Linyiru recognised for agricultural transformation
  • Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development: Africa Curriculum Development Institution of the Year
  • Anti-Counterfeit Authority and the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency also received awards

Several principal secretaries were also recognised, among them Ahmed Abdisalan Ibrahim, Cyrell Odede Wagunda and Dr Idris Salim Dokota.

What the award is, and is not

The President's award is one of several honours handed out by a single conference to leaders and institutions that took part or were nominated. It is not a continental ranking of heads of state, and APSCA did not publish any comparison of African presidents.

Posts circulating on social media claiming that Ruto had been "ranked best president in Africa" are not supported by the reports from KNA or the organiser's published material, and HAMASTA MEDIA could not verify any such ranking.

The recognition comes as the Head of State faces intense domestic debate over the cost of living, public debt and service delivery ahead of the August 2027 General Election, and as his allies and critics trade claims over his government's record.

Photos: Presidenza della Repubblica / Wikimedia Commons (Attribution); APSCA via Taarifa Rwanda/KNA. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.