The Mt Kenya Times 
President William Ruto
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- Some of them had even vowed to subject the Ruto administration to blanket condemnations. We will never appreciate that it was doing anything positive.
- To me, this showed they risked losing the trust of Kenyans if they failed to change tack. The role of the opposition is to engage the government in power into constructive, structured dialogue and criticisms. Therefore, it means they have a responsibility to support the government when it has bone.
- I’m not here to hold brief for President Ruto, but the question I always ask is. If Azimio coalition won the election, what could they have done differently?
President William Ruto is now on home-stretch in shaping up his government. The nomination of 51 principle secretaries [PSs] a few days ago was a key step in this endeavor. This again demonstrated his commitment to walk the talk. This is a matter he wanted to put behind him.
During the campaigns he had promised Kenyans that, if elected, his administration will immediately start to serve them. This can only be realized when the government is complete.
Well, these nominations elicited mixed reactions. To his critics, the list did not reflect the face of Kenya. He had said he will treat all the regions equally. He is now backtracking on this.
The critics further argued that he is out to reward political rejects, who stood with him during the campaigns, at the expense of experience and other qualifications.
For me, these criticisms would not come as a surprise. The critics were yet to move on. They still believed Dr Ruto had ‘stolen’ their victory.
This is despite the fact that the Supreme Court had upheld his election. This is after hearing their petition seeking to overturn the IEBC national returning officer Wafula Chabukati’s declaration of Ruto as the president-elect.
Some of them had even vowed to subject the Ruto administration to blanket condemnations. We will never appreciate that it was doing anything positive.
To me, this showed they risked losing the trust of Kenyans if they failed to change tack. The role of the opposition is to engage the government in power into constructive, structured dialogue and criticisms. Therefore, it means they have a responsibility to support the government when it has bone.
I’m not here to hold brief for President Ruto, but the question I always ask is. If Azimio coalition won the election, what could they have done differently?
Looking at the list of PS nominees, one thing is clear. The nominees hailed from all corners of this country. What does this tell you? President Ruto’s list reflected the face of Kenya. He even nominated some from Luo Nyanza the home turf of his worthy competitor Raila Odinga, where he only garnered pockets of votes.
Yes, it is true majority of those nominated hailed from Rift Valley and Mount Kenya regions. These were Dr Ruto’s strongholds.
Even if Azimio won the election, many believe it could have read the same script. This would be informed by what we had witnessed before. Majority of those who held senior positions in ODM and other coalitions steered by Raila Odinga hailed from the strongholds of these political outfits.
On the issue of experience and qualifications, it is still hard to believe their criticisms. This is because they were not based on information that was credible and factual. I have never heard them presenting a report based on evidence gathered through investigations. Their modus oparandi is anchored on raw and unrefined style of politics.
President Ruto has been reiterating that he is committed to develop the whole country. On the issue of high cost of life, he has called on Kenyans to bear with him. I meant my words but after being sworn-in I realized the state of economy was bad.
During the campaign I had no access to the actual amount of money collected by the taxman and how it was being dispersed by the National Treasury.
The money was very little. It was therefore hard to start implementing all the projects and programmes immediately. The timelines for some of them will change but I’m committed.
I still remember former cabinet John Michuki’s famous words. This is what he had told me. Ndonga, you cannot plant today and expect to harvest tomorrow. So, when writing your opinions don’t be too harsh on us. President Kibaki is committed fulfill all his promises. For Dr Ruto, let us also give him time.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and a political commentator based in Nairobi
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