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‘I’m a man on a mission’: Ruto hits back at critics
President William Ruto during a past tour of Nairobi County.
What you need to know:
- President Ruto said in Nairobi alone, the government has committed to constructing 60,000 housing units.
- The President dismissed those he described as distractors with no concrete ideas for progress.
President William Ruto has hit back at his critics, even as he defended his administration’s track record and outlined a string of development projects he described as game-changing.
Speaking during a Sunday service in Kibera, Nairobi, the President said his government was undertaking major infrastructure initiatives aimed at transforming the face of the city and improving the lives of its residents.
President Ruto said his administration was working to uplift the livelihoods of about 60 per cent of Nairobi residents who are living in the slums.
“We have set up a big plan for affordable housing, social housing, and other houses. It is my commitment that we are going to transform not just the city of Nairobi, but our nation Kenya,” President Ruto said.
He said in Nairobi alone, the government has committed to constructing 60,000 housing units. His remarks came just days after he handed over houses in Mukuru slums, part of the same affordable housing program.
While championing his agenda, the President dismissed those he described as distractors with no concrete ideas for progress.
“Let us ignore the naysayers. Let us ignore those who have nothing to offer to us except insults, name-calling, and ethnicity. Let us focus on the future of the nation,” he said.
Without naming the opposition, he suggested their approach was rooted in division and negativity.
“Let us ignore the naysayers. Let us ignore those who have nothing to offer to us except insults, name-calling, and ethnicity. Let us focus on the future of the nation,” he said.
“I am a man on a mission… Number one, to unify the people of Kenya…a nd transformation of our nation,” he added. “And that is what I am asking all of us. Transformation is not easy, but it is necessary, it is desirable, it is what we must achieve.”
Dr Ruto insisted that his broader goal is to bring Kenyans together, an obligation he said was not just constitutional, but also biblical.
Since falling out with his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, President Ruto has sharpened his focus on programs for ordinary citizens. The tone mirrors his 2022 campaign, where he championed the “hustler” narrative.
“We are going to change Kibera, iwe ni mahali pazuri. Mumehangaika siku mingi,” President Ruto said.
His visit came a day after a deadly fire swept through the area, killing eight people, injuring several others, and leaving many families homeless. To those affected, the President offered his condolences and assured them of government support.
President Ruto also donated Sh1 million to the congregants of AIC Kibera, where he attended Sunday service.
The Head of State was accompanied by several political leaders, including Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who used the opportunity to call for urgent reforms in how the government handles fire disasters in informal settlements.
Governor Sakaja also pointed to a disturbing pattern of fires across the city in recent days.
“We have lost 15 people in Nairobi this week,” Sakaja said. “There was a fire incident in Mathare, then on Tuesday another in Makina, Kibera. That same day in Reuben, a child died from a fire. The common factor, Your Excellency, is energy — either gas explosions or illegal electricity connections.”
The governor urged the national government to consider community-based models of power distribution to prevent future tragedies.
“There are global models for social connection to power. That’s the solution we need. If Your Excellency you direct Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), they can implement it,” he said.
“These illegal connections have been there. If you can’t beat them, join them. Let’s find those doing the connections, reduce power tariffs, and empower them with proper cables and equipment so they can become certified distributors. Otherwise, we’ll continue losing lives daily,” he added.