President William Ruto …Photo/IP
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP)
President William Ruto on Tuesday sharpened his tongue and his timeline, reviving his favorite political arithmetic: “if a leader has spent four decades in power corridors without delivering development, how many more years should Kenyans patiently donate?”
Speaking to supporters, Ruto mocked his competitors as veterans of press conferences rather than projects, accusing them of having neither a vision nor an agenda beyond permanent opposition.
“If someone has been in leadership for 40 years and did not build, how many other years does he need?” the president asked, as laughter and applause followed.
Ruto said some politicians have mastered the art of explaining why nothing was done, while his administration, he insisted, is busy laying roads, launching projects and “working instead of whining.”
Without naming names, the president suggested that his critics prefer microphones to machinery and rallies to results, arguing that Kenyans are tired of recycled promises packaged as wisdom.
The remarks quickly circulated on X and Facebook, where supporters hailed Ruto’s blunt talk as refreshing, while critics accused him of turning national leadership into a comedy roast.
The comments were widely interpreted as another swipe at opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka, escalating an increasingly personal war of words that has shifted from policy debates to development scorecards.
As the country edges toward the 2027 election season, Kenya’s politics appears to be entering an era where timelines matter, patience is wearing thin — and some leaders may be running out of years to ask for.
