President William Ruto has warned Kenyans against electing what he described as a foolish president, in remarks made during his address to Kenyan diaspora members at Hudson Yards in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, comments that have landed with all the irony of a man who appears oblivious to how his own presidency is being judged back home.
The address came just moments after the now-famous Wantam shout rang through the room, visibly rattling the President and shifting the atmosphere in the gathering.
Undeterred, Ruto pressed on, highlighting what he described as significant economic gains under his administration, including reduced inflation, lower interest rates, and a dramatic rise in foreign reserves from $ 5.7 billion to $ 15.3 billion.
He also launched a new Diaspora Impact Platform and announced a joint declaration with the United Nations and Equity Group, presenting himself as a transformational leader delivering results for the country.
He used the platform to stress that strong and capable leadership was the foundation of national success, implicitly positioning himself as the kind of steady hand Kenya cannot afford to replace.
But Kenyans watching from both the diaspora and back home were quick to point out the glaring contradiction at the heart of his message. Many on social media described the speech as deeply oxymoronic, delivered by a man whose presidency has been defined by punishing taxation that has strangled businesses and households alike, rampant political patronage that has corrupted public institutions, the abduction and killing of young Kenyans who dared to protest, and a governance record that has left millions worse off than they were before he took office.
Online reactions were sharply divided, with government supporters pointing to the economic figures Ruto cited as evidence of progress, while a much larger and louder section of Kenyans saw his words as an unintentional reference to the 2022 election, with many declaring that 2027 was the opportunity to correct what they described as a costly national mistake.
When a president stands before his own people and warns them not to elect a foolish leader, and the immediate reaction from a significant portion of those people is to wonder whether that warning applies to the man currently giving it, something has gone profoundly wrong in the relationship between a leader and those he governs.
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