The Mt Kenya Times 
President William Ruto when he delivered his new year message at State House, Nakuru
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- President Ruto was however optimistic that everything will go on as planned. The judges are also Kenyans. So, I’m sure they will look at the bigger picture, put the interests of Kenyans first when delivering their rulings.
- Apart from creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for ‘Hustlers’, the affordable housing project is designed to ensure they get decent houses. l For now, we have created 120,000 jobs. In this New Year, the number will increase to 500,000 jobs. As we all know, these ‘hustlers’ have been living in deplorable, unhygienic and poor conditions in the filthy slums. This project is meant to address the problem of inequality and indignity.
I followed President William Ruto keenly as he delivered his New Year Message from State House in Nakuru.
The speech covered a wide of issues ranging from achievements, the work in progress and challenges that his administration was facing.
As I promised you my fellow Kenyans during the campaigns, I have made great strides. My administration could have achieved more were it not for the opposition leaders who were undermining and sabotaging our efforts.
The opposition has been running a campaign of divisions, hatred and anarchy in the country.
In recent past, you have seen them filing lawsuits seeking to overturn my administration’s policy issues meant to transform your lives.
He cited the affordable housing plan and Universal Healthcare delivery. These are some of the noble initiatives that they were trying to kill.
President Ruto was however optimistic that everything will go on as planned. The judges are also Kenyans. So, I’m sure they will look at the bigger picture, put the interests of Kenyans first when delivering their rulings.
Apart from creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for ‘Hustlers’, the affordable housing project is designed to ensure they get decent houses. l For now, we have created 120,000 jobs. In this New Year, the number will increase to 500,000 jobs. As we all know, these ‘hustlers’ have been living in deplorable, unhygienic and poor conditions in the filthy slums. This project is meant to address the problem of inequality and indignity.
This has happened in other countries across the world including Malaysia and Singapore. This is one of the strategies the leadership of the two nations used to boost the growth of their respective economies.
At independence, they were in the same league with Kenya. Today, Kenya is begging and borrowing monies for development from them.
For the healthcare plan, President Ruto stated. I look forward to see all Kenyans, no matter one’s economic and social status, accessing quality and affordable medical care.
For the whole of last year, I kept my faith in terms of championing and articulating the vision and agenda of President William Ruto.
Here is one of the opinion pieces I had written. President Ruto took the reigns of power at a time when our economy was ailing and the disease was at advanced stage.
In medical terms, the medics would tell you. This is now an emergency case. The patient needs to be immediately wheeled to Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The ailment of our economy would be attributed to four main causes: The dilapidated economy; drought and famine; Russia-Ukraine war and undergoing recovery from devastating effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
Contrary to impression created by his critics, Dr William Ruto meant his word during the campaign period.
But upon taking the office, it dawned on him the situation was so bad than he anticipated.
One can understand why. He had fallen out with his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, and as such he remained in darkness. He would not get proper briefings from the state agencies touching on these matters.
Therefore, it is self-explanatory why he failed to fulfill some of the promises within the timelines he had set out.
Though Dr Ruto’s initial plan was to fix the economy within 6 months, he has since called on Kenyans to give him more time.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua while enumerating the strides his boss has taken in these endeavors, stated. My boss will only need one year to return the economy back on track.
For Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, this was likely to take a bit longer. He talked of two years.
The President knows the buck stops with him. So for him, he is committed to address this matter in shortest time possible.
Mudavadi urged Kenyans to be patient. Fixing an economy that had been run down is not a cup of instant coffee. We are here for a long haul.
The leadership of Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition has since advantage of this to launch a new battle front against President Ruto.
You can now see Dr Ruto took you for a ride. He had promised to fix the economy with six months.
Azimio would turn deaf ear to the projects and programmes he had rolled out within that period.
Besides, the coalition leaders would not tell us the miracles they would have used to turn around the economy if they won polls.
The high cost of Unga is one of the main issues that the Azimio leader Raila would use mobilize Kenyans to participate in his demonstrations that always turned chaotic, bloody and destructive. With due respect to him, this smacked of hypocrisy and dishonesty.
We know Raila was one of the core- principals of the ‘handshake government’ alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta.
During this period, the price of 2kg packet of Unga had shot to Sh230. This is while noting that the Unga, fuel, electricity subsidies were in place.
President Ruto removed the subsidy programme stating it was only benefiting a few super-rich corrupt riddled cartels.
Since he assumed power, the cost of Unga has been dropping.
If you go to a shop or supermarket, you will find the prices for some brands ranging between Sh165 and Sh170.
Recently, President Ruto assured Kenyans the price is poised to come down to Sh150 and below in coming days.
God has blessed us with rain and as we know this is a planting season.
Our farmers have already planted maize and other food crops and are currently tilling their land.
So, God willing, we are expecting a bumper harvest in the next few weeks.
The prices will come down automatically.
Raila is also capitalizing in what he terms as skewed and ethnized appointments of the civil servants and state officers.
This government is only employing people from one or two communities yet Kenya has 45 tribes.
Politics aside, if you look at the list of those employed it represented the face of Kenya.
None of the community has been left out.
However, I agree that certain tribe has more employees than others.
To me, this seems to a standard script read by all successive governments of independent Kenya.
Get me right. I’m not saying two wrongs can make a right.
But in my view Dr Ruto has tried to remedy this challenge.
However, allow me to say this. Raila should be the last person to fault Dr Ruto for this problem.
Before I explain, I hope many would agree. It is not possible to actualize this equality.
One example. The cabinet is comprised of 22 members. Kenya has 45 tribes.
Back to Raila, I was working with a Youth NGO when he was a prime minister in the grand coalition government.
Given the nature of my job, I visited his office several times.
I was also among those picked to attend meetings in office.
These meetings had been organized by top officials. He had instructed them to do so this after we registered reservations regarding the distribution of the funds allocated to support the youth.
There were fears these funds were being misappropriated and allocated to the old people.
This led to coining of a kiswahili mantra: Kazi kwa vijana, pesa kwa Wezee.
During these visits, one thing was clear. Majority of those employed there hailed from his community.
Ever since, many believe he has been reading the same script.
If you want to confirm this, just visit his Capitol Hills Office and ODM secretariat.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi
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