First Lady Rachel Ruto Wednesday joined women parliamentarians for the National Prayer Breakfast Women Convocation held ahead of Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.
Leaders from the Senate and National Assembly who attended the prayer gathering called for national forgiveness, healing and reconciliation.
Urging Kenyans to embrace prayer and unity, Mrs Ruto said leaders often face misunderstanding even when their intentions are genuine.
“There are moments when you give your best and still find yourself criticized, excluded, or unfairly judged. And perhaps the hardest part is not what happened around you, but what started happening within you — the questions, the disappointment, the temptation to withdraw, to become guarded, to stop trusting people, and to harden your heart just enough so that no one can hurt you again,” she said.
The First Lady commended women leaders for remaining steadfast at a time when divisions have increasingly become normalized across society and politics.
She noted that the future of reconciliation in Kenya would not only be shaped in Parliament or boardrooms, but also through ordinary conversations led by women who choose understanding over hostility.
“Women who can correct without humiliating. Women who can rise without pulling others down. Women who understand that leadership is not proven by how many people fear you, but by how many people become better because you led them,” she said.
Mrs Ruto further observed that society has become increasingly polarized politically, socially and even within families, warning against a culture of quick judgment and condemnation.
“We are living in a time where division has become easy. People are divided politically, socially and generationally. Even within families. We have become quicker to cancel than to listen, quicker to respond than to understand, and quicker to judge than to reconcile. Yet reconciliation is not merely a spiritual principle — it is leadership, and we as women understand this deeply,” she added.
The First Lady said President William Ruto deeply values the role women play not only in leadership across different sectors, but also in praying for the nation.
The intercessory session was led by Joyce Kikafunda alongside Women Convocation co-chairs Beatrice Elachi and Veronica Maina.
Senator Veronica Maina revealed that there had been attempts to stop the National Prayer Breakfast through the courts, but said the event prevailed.
“The Lord’s prayers are unstoppable. Someone attempted to go to court, but through God’s grace the court upheld the prayers as constitutional,” she said.
Vihiga Woman Representative Beatrice Adagala said there is a misconception that all parliamentarians are morally compromised.
“At Parliament we are born again, and we will be going to heaven. Kenya will change because we are prayerful women,” she said.
Senator Beth Syengo called on Kenyans to pray for peace and for wisdom among the country’s leaders.
She also urged an end to what she described as the spirit of hatred and division being spread through online platforms and public discourse, while condemning the growing culture of rejecting every government initiative, including the upcoming Finance Bill.
Cabinet Secretary for East African Community Affairs Beatrice Askul urged young people, especially Gen Z, not to allow themselves to be manipulated by self-serving politicians into causing chaos and destruction.
Delegations from several countries attended the prayers, including Peru, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, the United States, Hungary, Indonesia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Uganda and Tanzania.
