Ruto’s Launch Of Second Phase Of ‘Hustler Fund’ Demonstrated He Means His Words
The Mt Kenya Times 
President Ruto after launchign hustlers fund
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- Well, his critics in Azimio would take advantage of this to portray him in bad light. He had promised you that he will do this or that within this timeline but he has not kept his word. This reeks of hypocrisy and dishonest.
- With due respect to Azimio leader Raila Odinga, I want to ask him. When you served as a cabinet minister for Roads and Public Works in the first term of Mwai Kibaki presidency and later as a Prime Minister in the second term of Kibaki administration, did you manage to roll out all the promises within the timelines you had set out? The answer is a Big No.
In the countdown to 2022 General Election, the ‘Hustler Nation’ narrative became the key plank of the Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto.
While identifying himself as a real ‘hustler’, he managed to convince millions of Kenyans that he was having a solution to the myriad of the problems facing them.
I know the pain you going through and he always pointed an accusing finger at the ‘Handshake’ government duo of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his partner ODM leader Raila Odinga.
These two gentlemen are sons of dynasties and so they have never encountered any problem in their lives.
The Kenya Kwanza brigade always revisited the remark made by one of them when he asked. How much does a loaf of bread cost?
In this conversation that now coalesced around the ‘Dynasties versus hustlers’, Dr Ruto mainly targeted women and youths because he knew a big chunk of them were jobless.
This wave was very strong and at some point it started to send cold shivers down the spines of his political competitors.
Attempts by his detractors to tame him would not bear the fruits. This came when it was too late.
Majority of Kenyans had made up their mind and were only waiting for the polling day to cast their votes in support of Dr Ruto. This came to pass.
Having been at the helm of power for last eight months, the conversation has now changed. The focus shifts to whether he has fulfilled the pre-election pledges.
Allow me to give my response by looking at the Kenya Kwanza manifesto which categorizes pledges into two: the long and short term promises.
In my considered view, President Ruto has made good progress.
Yes, he would not keep the timelines he had set out in the implementation of some of them.
Well, his critics in Azimio would take advantage of this to portray him in bad light. He had promised you that he will do this or that within this timeline but he has not kept his word. This reeks of hypocrisy and dishonest.
With due respect to Azimio leader Raila Odinga, I want to ask him. When you served as a cabinet minister for Roads and Public Works in the first term of Mwai Kibaki presidency and later as a Prime Minister in the second term of Kibaki administration, did you manage to roll out all the promises within the timelines you had set out? The answer is a Big No.
We know that Dr William Ruto assumed office at a time when Kenya was being confronted by five major challenges: The ravaging drought (the worst in 40 years), dilapidated economy, foreign debts, and Russian-Ukraine war and at a time when Kenya was recovering from devastating effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
In light of this, I hope majority of Kenyans would not fall prey to Raila and his brigade political machinations of casting President Ruto as a ‘failure’.
We know the reasons why the opposition leaders have been doing this. It is simply because Dr Ruto wrestled them down at the ballot.
Though Raila had curved a niche of rejecting the presidential elections results particularly those that had catapulted Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta to the helm of power, one can understand why he remains so bitter and is yet to come to terms with this loss?
He was enjoying the full backing of the outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Deep State and System.
So, the word ‘defeat’ did not exist in his vocabulary. He never contemplated losing.
He had these mis conceived, false believe and warped idea. Even if I lose at the ballot, the outgoing President will help me to manipulate and alter the results so that I’m declared the ‘winner’.
Many believed part of this game involved crafting a plot that would frighten the chairman of the IEBC and make him come to a conclusion that his life was in real danger. This would happen if Wafula Chebukati refuses to cooperate.
The chairman stood his gun and went ahead to declare Dr Ruto as the winner.
The local and international observers, who had already given the outcome a clean bill of health, commend him for this.
Raila suffered another setback at Supreme Court of Kenya. After hearing the petition, they Judges dismissed the case.
In a unanimous decision, the observed. The petition fell far short of meeting the requisite threshold. This is because it had been built on quick sand and shaky ground. It is nothing but a cocktail of raw propaganda, outright lies and half truth.
A few days ago, President William Ruto led the nation in the cerebration to mark the 60th Madaraka Day, the first since he becomes the President. This event was held in the newly refurbished Moi Stadium in Embu town.
The president seized this opportunity to launch the second phase of the ‘Hustler Fund’ targeting groups such as Chamas and Saccos.
Upon applying via digital platform, each group was eligible to access a loan of between Sh20,000 and Sh1 million.
In doing this, President Ruto left no doubt he recognized the importance of this day. Madaraka is a national day set aside to cerebrate when Kenya attained internal-self-rule.
Here, we normally remember our freedom fighters, which went to the forest and waged a fierce battle against the British colonial government.
Today, we are enjoying the fruits of their sweat and great sacrifices.
Patriotism and commitment to liberate fellow Kenyans from the yoke of colonial slavery is what drove them to go to the forest to fight for land and freedom.
That is why they won this battle because it was not about pursuing their selfish and personal interests.
After Kenya got its full independence, the founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta listed poverty, disease and ignorance as the three main challenges that needed to be fought and vanquished.
60 years down the line, we have made very little progress. This is despite the presidents of the successive governments crafting and unveiling a raft of interventions.
President Ruto is also laying out a strong foundation to deal with these challenges.
As he promised during the campaigns, he is using different strategies.
As for the launch of the second phase of Hustler Fund, formally known Financial Inclusion Fund, the President was privy to this.
The founding fathers of had identified poverty as one of enemies of our nation. This explains why he choose this occasion to unveil the fund.
The first phase which targeted the individuals is still continuing.
The President disclosed that 20.2 million Kenyans have so far applied and accessed the loans.
Sh30 billion have been dispersed to them through the digital platform. The platform is secured. No corruption. You get your money in realtime.
Out of Sh30bn, Sh19.7bn has been repaid, he stated.
The president is on the right course. Let us support his efforts.
For his critics, he has been telling them. I have no problem with you correcting me and my administration if we do something wrong.
However, you should engage us in a constructive and structured dialogue and criticisms.
This demonstrates that Dr Ruto is a true democrat.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
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