President William Ruto has described former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the most ungrateful and deceitful human being he has ever met.
He urged to retire honourably and stop the continuing betrayal and misuse of political leaders.
The President said although he supported Mr Kenyatta’s presidential bids four times – 2002, 2013 and twice in 2017 – Mr Kenyatta chose to repay him with betrayal.
He said Kenyatta did not support his presidential bid in 2022 and is actively campaigning against him ahead of the 2027 elections.
He called out him out, too, for “conning the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Fred Matiang’i”, whom he had brought back from abroad.
“You are the most ungrateful person I have met. You are the most deceitful character I have met,” he said.
Speaking during a development tour of Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties on Monday, the President warned opposition leaders to be wary of Mr Kenyatta’s deceit.
He was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Interior) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), Governors Stephen Sang (Nandi) and Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu) and many MPs, among other leaders.
President Ruto explained to his predecessor that he had fixed the mess the former President left behind, citing the poorly implemented Competency-Based Education, which he has since reformed by hiring teachers, fixing the funding model and streamlining the curriculum.
The President also pointed out that he had stabilised the economy, which Mr Kenyatta left in bad shape, fixed the debt burden and implemented reforms that have reduced inflation, remarkably boosted foreign exchange reserves, attracted major investors and doubled foreign direct investment.
“As a result, Kenya is the sixth largest economy in Africa,” he said.
He went on to say universal healthcare has been implemented and is on track, covering 33 million Kenyans while more affordable houses are under construction compared to when Mr Kenyatta was in office.
At the same time, President Ruto said he will present his development record to Kenyans in line with the Kenya Kwanza manifesto they voted for.
The President said the Government has been faithful to the manifesto Kenyans endorsed and has delivered on the country’s priority agenda.
“That is why I can face the people of Kenya confidently and tell them I have delivered what we agreed. I am ready for next year,” he said.
He went on: “I am ready for the next election. If that election is going to be about performance, development track record and transformation of Kenya, we are ready for that election.”
The President urged the critics of the Kenya Kwanza administration to evaluate its performance based on the manifesto Kenyans voted for.
“I want to challenge our competitors to look at our manifesto. We did not write a newspaper, we wrote a manifesto to guide the development, programme and the agenda of the nation,” he said.
The President warned that the opposition was envious of the tremendous progress the Government has made in the past four years.
He pointed to stalled and new road projects, including the Isiolo-Mandera, Rironi-Mau Summit, Mau Mau and Lake Victoria Ring roads.
“For the first time, we are delivering progress across the country. For the first time, Kenya has equity,” he said.
On agriculture, President Ruto noted that the Government had brought down the cost of fertiliser and seeds, eliminated brokers and cartels from the agricultural value chains and improved earnings for tea, coffee, dairy and other farmers.
Meanwhile, the President stated that Government is committed to uniting Kenyans and transforming the country, leaving no one, no region and no community behind.
“Kenya’s development has been slowed by hatred, tribalism, and discrimination. I have decided to unite leaders and communities,” he said.
He urged the opposition to present its agenda to the people and stop engaging in empty politics of insults, tribalism and hatred.
“Kenyans have the capacity to elect leaders based on their development track record and vision for Kenya,” he said.
On development in Nandi County, the President inspected the 24 km Maraba-Kebeneti and Timboroa-Kopere roads in Tinderet Constituency.
He said the Government is investing Ksh20 billion in the construction of 350km of roads in the County to unlock the county’s agricultural and economic potential.
He also broke ground for the construction of the 17km Labuiywo-Kitechegaa/Kapkoros-Koisagat road at a cost of Ksh1.3 billion. The road will later link the county to Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo-Marakwet and West Pokot counties.
In Aldai Constituency, President Ruto inspected the construction of the Kaptumo Affordable Housing Project and Kaptumo Modern Market.
Across the county, the Government is investing Ksh18 billion in the Affordable Housing Programme, delivering 3,500 units, hostels for 6,000 university, technical college and Kenya Medical Training College students, and 15 modern markets.
He made the remarks as he handed over the Maraba Modern Market in Tinderet Constituency to 200 Mama Mboga and other traders in the county.
He also launched the Tinderet Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project, a KSh55 million investment to connect 4,000 households to electricity.
He said the project is part of the Government’s Ksh2.1 billion programme to connect 23,000 homes to power across Nandi County.
On healthcare, he launched the construction of a new inpatient block at Meteitei Sub-County Hospital in Tinderet at a cost of Ksh270 million.
He announced that 630,000 residents in Nandi County, representing 72 per cent of the population, are registered with SHA.
So far, the Government has spent Ksh2.2 billion on the treatment of residents at dispensaries, health centres and referral hospitals.
He also flagged off the Aldai Constituency Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project, targeting 6,429 homes at a cost of Ksh510 million.
In Uasin Gishu County, President Ruto opened the Kenya School of TVET Moiben Campus, the first outside Nairobi.
The President also flagged off the Ksh466 million Moiben Last Mile Electricity Connectivity Project, which is connecting 3,925 households to electricity in Moiben Constituency.
He said the project is part of a Ksh3.6 billion investment to connect 28,820 homes to electricity across the county.
Later, he inspected the construction of Ziwa Level 5 Hospital in Soy Constituency. The 400-bed facility will be equipped with five operating theatres, 12 Intensive Care Unit beds, 12 High Dependency Unit beds, laboratories, maternity, dental and diagnostic units, and a physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre.
He noted that SHA is also strengthening healthcare delivery in the county, with 755,000 residents registered and KSh13 billion disbursed to settle hospital bills.
On roads in Uasin Gishu, he said KSh35 billion has been invested in 14 road projects covering 400km across the county to ease the movement of agricultural produce to markets, reduce transport costs and boost economic growth.
President Ruto also commissioned the Soy-Serekea-Kilimani-Turbo, Nangili-Ziwa Machine-Ziwa Sirikwa and Ziwa Sirikwa-Kerotet-Maji Mazuri-Moi’s Bridge roads, and Ziwa Dam 2 Project still in Soy Constituency.
On his part, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the Government will launch digital birth certificates this week during the Mashujaa Day celebrations to be held in Eldoret City.
Under the new system, he said parents will automatically receive birth certificates at hospitals after the babies are born, eliminating the need for travelling long distances to apply for the documents.
Mr Murkomen also called for action against illicit brewers, urging Kenyans to work with the Government to eliminate illegal alcohol in their communities.
“We must make sure that that the illicit alcohol is removed from our community,” he said.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said the National Government has set aside funds to support the expansion of electricity connectivity to all parts of the country.
He said the budget will make electricity more accessible to Kenyans across the country.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang commended the Government for bringing development closer to Kenyans.
He highlighted projects in affordable housing, roads, water and other infrastructure, saying they are helping to improve services and living conditions for citizens.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said the Government is working to ensure that all regions in the country benefit equally from development and transformation.
He said every region should receive its fair share of development and government services.
