Presidency must stop lamentations
On Wednesday, President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua marked exactly a year since they were sworn into the presidency.
The duo’s first 12 months in office have been a mixed bag of fortunes composed of successes and shortcomings in one go. Much has been said about the promises they made to Kenyans through their Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
What has not been said loudly enough is the manner in which the Ruto-Gachagua regime is handling sensitive matters touching on the welfare of citizens.
It was, therefore, surprising to hear—belatedly though—the Deputy President’s stinging admonishment of Ruto’s appointees over brazen disdain for, and vitriol, towards the electorate. We say surprising because we had taken it that impunity and bigotry were part of the regime’s unwritten policy documents.
Even as one wonders whether the Presidency needs those elitist, swagger-laced and completely detached group of persons around him in the name of advisors, it is no secret a majority of his personnel fashioned as Cabinet and Principal Secretaries have, so far, been a total let down. They have demeaned and degraded the stature of the offices they hold.
We agree with Gachagua’s observation that Kenya Kwanza’s ministers, PSs and heads of parastatals look down at the citizenry and appear to be clueless on the assignments bestowed on them.
What we wonder is why it has taken him a while year to come to this realisation as if he had to travel to Colombia to discuss coffee matters there so as to smell the coffee about the realities in his own government. These are warnings the President and his deputy should have issued to their troops during the first meeting of their Cabinet.
Kenyans have been lamenting for the past year. Let it not be the turn of the President and his deputy to lament in the next four. The buck stops at their door. They must act over the lackadaisical attitude towards service delivery rendered by their appointees.
Harsh statements alone will not wash. The ball remains entirely in the court of Ruto and Gachagua. They have the people’s mandate to do what is right for the populace. Not to merely complain like the rest of us.
