Uhuru Cheered as He Blasts Ruto

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has criticized President William Ruto’s administration over what he termed as failed manifesto promises.

While addressing the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference (NDC) at Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi on Friday, September 26, 2025, Uhuru highlighted the achievements of his Jubilee administration and called out the failures of the Kenya Kwanza government.

In his speech, Uhuru stated that his government left behind a more connected and cohesive country than it found. 

Uhuru Highlights Jubilee Gains , Calls Out Ruto’s Failures

However, he pointed out that the gains they had in his administration have been eroded. 

“We can say that we (Jubilee) left the country more connected than we found it: we doubled the number of tarred roads, increased electricity connections to over 70%, removed maternity fees, and saw significant improvements such as in Mandera, where cesarean sections were performed for the first time since independence,” he said.

He cited successful initiatives such as Linda Mama, which he said was effectively implemented during his tenure.

He accused President Ruto of scrapping the Linda Mama program and replacing it with untested health reforms that have left many Kenyans struggling.

“At the end of last year general elections I endeavored to pass this message, unfortunately it fell on deaf years and was lost in the noise of insults, character assassination, stories of hustlers and dynasty narratives,” Uhuru remarked. 

“Linda mama and other gains we made have been replaced by new untried, untested schemes, and while we wait for these experiments to work, Kenyans suffer and our progress is retarded.”

On education, Uhuru emphasized that his administration had expanded free secondary education and scaled up the Edu Afya initiative, which provides health insurance to students.

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The retired President strongly condemned the alleged misuse of Kenya’s security agencies, stating that the security infrastructure developed under his administration was intended to protect citizens—not to intimidate or harm them.

“We invested heavily in our security infrastructure, we restructured our security organs and deepened an inter agency approach, ensuring our security agencies were better able to handle both domestic and external threats,” he said.

“This machine that we built, however, was not designed to face its own citizens and wasn’t supposed to be a source of fear and conflict to our citizens. It was to protect them, not harm them.”

The former president acknowledged that his administration faced challenges, including corruption—an issue he noted remains unresolved to date.

Uhuru: A Nation Must Learn from the Past and Listen to Its Youth

Uhuru Kenyatta emphasized the importance of building on past successes, learning from previous mistakes, and embracing the voices of young people as key ingredients for national transformation and stability.

“Over the years, as a leader, certain things have become apparent and clear to me,” he said. “That you succeed by looking at past successes, injecting new ideas and improving upon them. And you fail by ignoring past mistakes—thereby falling into the trap of repeating them.”

He added, “Leadership means always having an open mind and a listening ear, even to those you disagree with—and especially to the voices of our younger generations. In a world that is evolving as fast as it is, their insights are crucial for true transformation.”

Uhuru also took a moment to applaud Generation Z for their courage, encouraging them to remain vocal and proactive in shaping the country’s future.

“A generation that knows what it wants. The same energy and patriotism we saw on the streets—use it to take charge of your destiny. You have the power and the energy to drive change,” he said.

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He urged leaders to embrace democracy and respect the will of the people, pointing out that despite the hostility he faced after the 2022 General Election, he peacefully handed over power and expects the same democratic spirit within the Jubilee Party.

“Three years ago, after a hotly contested election, hostility was directed not only at our party but also at me, my family, and my administration. Despite this, I was ready to begin the process of rejuvenating our party with new leadership inspired by a new generation,” Uhuru said.

“For over 40 years in active politics, I have witnessed the good, the bad, and even the ugly. At every turn, I have done my best in the spirit of service to my party and to this country that I love. I have learned that in politics, you cannot be driven by bitterness, anger, or hate, because that only distracts you from your mission and vision.”

Uhuru was accompanied by former Interior Cabinet Secretary and 2027 presidential hopeful Fred Matiang’i, who sat beside him in the front row as the event officially commenced.

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