Kenyans dismiss President Ruto's national address as 'hollow'

 President William Ruto did not address political violence, goonism and the high cost of living. [File, Standard]

Kenyans and political commentators have dismissed President William Ruto's special national address as "hollow" and underwhelming.

The President focused largely on his scorecard and his vision of transforming Kenya from a developing to a developed country, rather than addressing the issues many Kenyans had expected him to confront.

Social media users and political leaders said they had hoped the President would directly address challenges that have become commonplace, including political violence, goonism, the high cost of living, corruption and the rising public debt.

Other issues that many expected him to tackle included claims by former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u that the President interferes with public institutions, allegations of voter bribery, and the continued conduct of Cabinet Secretaries who are under investigation by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) over alleged ethnic incitement.

The Cabinet Secretaries include Aden Duale (Health) and Geoffrey Ruku (Public Service), who are being investigated over remarks that allegedly portrayed the Agikuyu community as hyenas and sought to deepen divisions between Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West.

Political commentator Eric Kimundio said the Head of State, as a symbol of national unity, should have assured Kenyans that he had not sanctioned attempts by members of his Cabinet to divide the country along ethnic lines."The President failed to assure Kenyans of his commitment to unite the country so that every community feels included. His failure to either dismiss or publicly rebuke the Cabinet Secretaries has raised fears over whether he gave them the green light," Kimundio said.

Kimundio described the address as a public relations exercise and a diversionary tactic intended to shift attention from the political violence allegedly directed at opposition leaders.

He said the President also failed to tell Kenyans how many people had been arrested over the violence and disruption witnessed during political rallies.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the President did not address concerns over alleged State interference in the operations of independent institutions such as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the National Police Service (NPS).

"Kenyans wanted to hear whether the IEBC will conduct free and fair elections without interference, including reports of plans to ban live streaming. They wanted assurance that election results will be broadcast live for credibility and transparency," he said.

The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader also criticised the President for failing to address insecurity surrounding opposition rallies.

"Kenyans wanted to know who is behind the political violence and why no one has been arrested since these incidents of goonism began. They also wanted answers on why he has made Kenya worse than Haiti and why the police are allegedly being used to persecute citizens," he said.

Gachagua added that the President should have assured Kenyans that, should he lose next year's election, he would accept the outcome and "head back to Sugoi". He also questioned when the President would stop addressing crowds from vehicle rooftops and instead focus on service delivery.

Social media user Tony Muturi described the President's call for a National Development Charter during an election period as detached from reality.

"What Ruto has done is create a sense of delusional hope because oppressed people cling to hope. He is asking Kenyans to believe in dreams and hope when they expect economic transformation," he wrote.

Muturi dismissed the address as a public relations exercise, arguing that it failed to demonstrate genuine leadership.

"Kenyans cannot be asked to embrace a National Development Charter when people are allegedly being killed by police, government officials are openly accused of bribing voters, and public debt continues to rise. We need assurance of peace and justice before anything else," he added.

Another social media user, Antony Alexandria, wrote: "I listened to the address and it sounded inauthentic. He simply read what had been written—the same rhetoric. The strongest leadership communication comes from genuine conviction and uses prepared words as the vessel, not the source. The best speeches are written by the heart and refined by the pen."

Charles Wander wrote on X: "Kenyans are tired of promises and showmanship. The country has been all talk and no tangible progress in improving livelihoods over the past four years. Nobody can point to meaningful change except the political class. In fact, we have regressed during this administration. We are worse off."