President William Ruto has said Kenya’s political landscape has fundamentally changed from divisive tribal politics to issue-based leadership focused on solving citizens’ problems.
Speaking in Kilifi County during a thanksgiving ceremony for Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Jacobs Fikirini, Ruto said his administration had successfully shifted political discourse from ethnic mobilization to development and economic transformation.
“I promised to change the politics of this country and we have done so. That is why it is confusing many politicians,” said Ruto.
“Previously politics was done on tribal lines through incitement by one tribe against another. Leaders were always talking about citizens’ issues but with the change, the new politics everybody knows,” he added.
The President said modern leadership should focus on finding practical solutions to the challenges facing Kenyans instead of exploiting ethnic divisions for political gain.
“Leaders are those who reason on the challenges and how to address them and how to come out of them. Land, electricity and water problems have existed for many years and we have had leaders talking about them,” he said.
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Ruto argued that only visionary leadership with proper planning and implementation capacity can transform the country’s long-standing problems into economic opportunities.
“Until we have leadership that has the capacity to understand and plan with the vision to make solutions, to change our problems into opportunities and have a better tomorrow, we will continue to run in circles,” he stated.
The Head of State defended his administration’s development agenda, saying many people doubted his campaign promises during the 2022 General Election, including members of the clergy.
“When I pledged through my manifesto that I will deliver, many did not believe me. Even the clergy did not believe me,” said Ruto.
He pointed to affordable housing, agriculture reforms, education and road infrastructure as some of the key pillars his government is implementing across the country.
“When I said about housing, changing agriculture, I meant it. In education I had a plan for it. Across the country we had challenges on roads,” he added.
The thanksgiving ceremony for Fikirini attracted several Coast leaders allied to the Kenya Kwanza administration and came amid President Ruto’s wider development tour of the Coast region.
The Coast region has historically grappled with challenges including land ownership disputes, unemployment, poor infrastructure and water shortages, issues that have dominated political campaigns for decades.
Ruto’s remarks appeared aimed at reinforcing his administration’s bottom-up economic agenda while countering criticism from opposition leaders who have accused the government of failing to address the high cost of living and economic hardships facing ordinary Kenyans.