The Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy (ICT) is spearheading a plan to enable Kenyans to make direct phone calls with President William Ruto.
Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani, the Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, disclosed that the government is developing strategies to facilitate communication between Kenyans and President Ruto, allowing citizens to discuss matters of concern with him directly.
PS Kisiang’ani made these remarks during a visit to Bungoma County, following an incident where the President hinted at giving out his phone number during a speech in the County.
Ruto addressed residents of Machakha in Webuye West Constituency, Bungoma on May 30, 2024, teasing them to contact him if the area’s Member of Parliament failed to fulfill his commitment of establishing an ICT Hub in the area.
Speaking at the official opening of Webuye West Technical and Vocational College, Machakha, Bungoma County, the Head of State directed his remarks towards Dan (Daniel Wanyama MP Webuye West), tasking him with the responsibility of constructing the ICT Hub.
Ruto informed the crowd that he had already informed their MP about the project, emphasizing that if the MP failed to deliver, they should contact him directly.
“So, Dan, you have the task of building the ICT Hub, and I have reported you to your constituents. They shall be asking you, ‘Where is the ICT Hub which the hustler promised us, where is it?’ Make sure you follow up with the MP, and if he fails to accomplish it, call me,” said Ruto.
Following Ruto’s remarks, residents began chanting, demanding the President’s phone number, which he initially teased before humorously retracting.
“You want my number? Now, if you all call me on reverse call and the way you are many, you’ll deplete my salary,” he joked.
However, PS Kisiang’ani noted that the Head of State had not fully considered the logistical challenges of implementing such a plan, particularly the potential influx of calls, including those at odd hours.
According to Kisiang’ani, the President wants direct communication with the people on the ground without intermediaries such as other elected leaders. He explained that facilitating Kenyans to call President Ruto directly necessitates logistical planning, including organizing the allocation of who calls and when they do so.
“Yesterday he (President Ruto) was trying to give people his number, and I think he didn’t have the correct logistics on how he can give the number. People would call at midnight. I mean he would receive probably one thousand calls,” the PS remarked.
“We are working on logistics; we can allocate certain people some days and hours so that the president can talk to you directly because that is what he wants. Don’t pass through people, you need to talk to the President directly,” he added.
