No, Mr President, we won't clap for you; you just don't deserve it

President William Ruto is welcomed by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. With them is China's First Lady Peng Liyuan. [PHOTO REBECA NDUKU/PCS. 24/4/2025]

While on his most recent trip to China, President William Ruto made a startling admission. He lamented that Kenyans do not compliment him. The moment, captured on camera and widely shared, betrayed more than frustration-it revealed a dangerous disconnect between a president and his people. Standing on foreign soil, he appeared to plead with international lenders-his de facto 'masters'-for recognition, claiming that despite his efforts, Kenyans refuse to clap.

But Mr President, compliments are earned. They are not begged for on foreign podiums. They are not coerced through propaganda machines or demanded from citizens whose daily lives have become a theater of pain, sacrifice, and hopelessness. Compliments are the people's reward for leadership that uplifts, empowers, and delivers-not for PR stunts, staged interviews, or inflated promises.