Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s renewed presence in Kenya’s political discourse after he chaired the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference (NDC) has rattled allies of President William Ruto, triggering sharp reactions within the Kenya Kwanza camp.
This comes after Uhuru, while speaking during the NDC on Friday, September 26, criticized the Kenya Kwanza administration for what he described as “untested and untried experiments” that he claimed were hurting Kenyans.
Uhuru stated that his government left behind a more connected and cohesive country than it found. However, he pointed out that the gains they had in his administration have been eroded.
“Today, many of the gains of the past have been eroded. Linda Mama and others have been replaced by new, untried, and untested schemes. While we wait for these experiments to work, Kenyans suffer and our progress is dragged,” Uhuru said in his address.
“As we continue to dwell in rhetoric rather than progress, we repeat the mistakes of the past. Some of the truths we spoke of, and some of the myths, have become the nightmares that many are living with,” he added, in reference to his earlier warnings about political choices made during the 2022 general election.
Ruto Allies Clap Back at Uhuru Over Criticism of Kenya Kwanza Government
In a rebuttal, Ruto’s allies dismissed the former president’s remarks, accusing him of leaving behind a battered economy and insisting he should retire in peace.
Speaking in Daadab Constituency, Garissa County, on Saturday, September 27, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot called out the former head of state, urging him to refrain from political commentary and instead reflect on the failures of his own administration.
“Yesterday, a certain man—Uhuru Kenyatta—spoke, and I was deeply angered. This is someone we voted for and respected as the President of Kenya for ten years, yet he never set foot in Dadaab, not even once,” Cheruiyot said.
“Now, he’s rushing here to tell us that certain programs like Linda Mama are not working. But when you and your friend Matiang’i were in positions of power, bodies of innocent citizens were being found in River Yala, in forests, and people were being abducted. What did you do then?”
Cheruiyot went on to question Uhuru’s continued political involvement post-retirement, contrasting him with former presidents who withdrew from active politics after leaving office.
Also Read: Uhuru’s Jubilee Party Backs Opposition in Mbeere North By-Election
He further alleged that many of the challenges the Ruto administration is currently grappling with were inherited from Uhuru’s leadership.
“Kenyans gave you a chance to lead the country, but you ended up damaging our nation. It’s time for you to stay silent and mind your own business. Respect Kenyans. You have no right or capacity to lecture any leader in this country,” Cheruiyot declared.
“Uhuru, be generous—step aside and let the country move on.”
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said Uhuru should also highlight the positives of Ruto’s administration, which has expanded Linda Mama to cover all Kenyans.
At the same time, President Ruto’s Personal Assistant, Farouk Kibet, echoed similar sentiments, claiming that Uhuru has no moral authority to criticize the government.
“He is the one who destroyed the country and now wants to act like he’s offering solutions. Jubilee is already dead, and it’s time he accepts that and moves on,” Kibet said.
Calls on Uhuru to Retire in Active Politics Intensifies
On his part, Mwala MP and UDA National Organizing Secretary Vincent Kawaya, during a boda boda empowerment event in Kitui town, claimed that Uhuru had run down the country, and President Ruto was working overtime to rebuild it.
“Uhuru Kenyatta should retire honourably and stop lecturing those who are fixing the mess he left behind,” Kawaya said.
He also took aim at the Nairobi Expressway, calling it an exploitative project benefiting Uhuru’s associates at the expense of Kenyans.
Also Read: Uhuru Cheered as He Blasts Ruto
Kitui South MP Dr. Rachael Nyamai backed Kawaya’s sentiments, lauding the affordable housing program as a transformative initiative that previous regimes shied away from.
“Some leaders feared pursuing tough national projects like affordable housing, but this government has shown courage. The benefits in terms of dignified living and economic empowerment are immense,” Nyamai said.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei accused Uhuru of leaving behind corruption, a Ksh 9 trillion debt crisis, extrajudicial killings, a dysfunctional CBC system, and widespread food insecurity.
“As a former member of Jubilee political Party, I am disappointed by the remarks by Party leader Uhuru Kenyatta by pontificating himself, yet he left a mess of a country that we are trying to fix,” he claimed.
“He left a wanton of corruption, debt crisis of over Ksh 9 trillion, inequitable development in the country, monumental extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances, dysfunctional CBC & uncontrollable food insecurity.”
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