President William Ruto has officially trademarked the phrase ‘Mambo ni Matatu,’ meaning that the expression is now legally recognized as a protected intellectual property.
President Ruto’s lawyer, Adrian Kamotho, indicated that the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) has allowed the trademark.
Kamotho says registration of the phrase denies other people the right to use it alongside the numeral 3 sign. Anyone seeking to use the phrase alongside the three fingers sign must seek permission from Dr Ruto.
“Registration of this mark shall give no right to the exclusive use of the numeral ‘3’ and the device of ‘human fingers’ per se each separately and apart from the mark as a whole,” said KIPI.
Kamotho explained: “The translation into English of the Kiswahili words ‘mambo ni matatu’ is ‘things are three'(there are three options). This means that he(Ruto) now has the exclusive use of the phrase.”
The President came up with the phrase last month while pledging to dismantle cartels in the sugar sub-sector.
Ruto cautioned two conflicting investors vying for control of Mumias Sugar Company to cease their activities and relocate, face legal consequences and go to jail, or go to heaven.
“We cannot continue to entertain this. We need a lasting break. All thieves must stop their acts. There is no place for such people. There are only three options; Leave the country, go to jail, or go to heaven,” he said.
Ruto repeated the phrase during the Climate Summit in Nairobi while addressing the challenges related to accessing substantial resources, emphasizing the need for specialized skills, and highlighting the importance of affordability in achieving fair and inclusive development.
“As we say in Kenya, mambo ni matatu. Number one, speed. It takes inordinate (time) to access any meaningful resources. Number two, it requires skill because we’ve all agreed that enormous resources are required and number three, affordability so that we both pay the same.”
