President Ruto's State of the Nation address sparks mixed reactions from MPs

President William Ruto during the State of the Nation address in Parliament, Nairobi on Thursday, November 9, 2023. [Elvis Ogina,Standard] President William Ruto delivered his State of the Nation address on Thursday, November 9, outlining the achievements and challenges of his administration in the past year. He highlighted the progress made in various sectors, such as health, education, infrastructure, security, and agriculture. He also acknowledged the difficulties faced by Kenyans due to the high cost of living. The Head of State urged Kenyans to remain united and hopeful and promised to implement more reforms and policies to improve the welfare of the citizens. Ruto's speech to the House elicited mixed reactions from MPs, who expressed their views on the performance and the vision of the Kenya Kwanza government. Some MPs praised the president for his honesty, leadership, and direction, while others criticized him for failing to address the pressing issues affecting the common people. "I have no doubt we have the best captain steering this ship called Kenya. We may not be there yet, but we are making progress. The president has shown us the way forward, and we need to support him and his agenda," said Molo MP Kimani Kuria. "On the style, the president came up very well. In fact, some Kenyans think he was doing it out of his memory and out of his mind, but he was actually using the technology of a teleprompter, which was very well presented. It gave him the opportunity to look at the audience, to look at the camera, to look at the MPs, and to engage them emotionally and intellectually," said Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie. However, not all MPs were impressed by the president's speech as some accused Ruto of being out of touch with the reality on the ground, and of making empty promises that do not translate into tangible results. "We are not happy about the President's speech. In fact, what we expected did not come. We can say with remorse that it was a speech without value, which can be classified as noise. What people are going through is horrible when you talk about the cost of living. If you don't tackle them, you cannot give any relief. Let them tackle fuel. We want tangible measures such that if you ask the rural community or on the street, they can tell you they have something that can give them hope," said Ndiwa MP Martin Owino. "I would summarize the president's speech as this: a summary of promises, a report on process indicators, which means I promised to do this, I have done this and this, but really the results have not come. It is a speech of we plan to do, what we are doing, so that we get you what you want," Seme MP James Nyikal. "The indicators may be good, but what people want is the availability of health services, the affordability of food, the security of their lives and property, and the opportunity to earn a decent income," he added.

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President Ruto's State of the Nation address sparks mixed reactions from MPs

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