Jubilee Party presidential hopeful Fred Matiang’i says Kenyans are doing President William Ruto a favor by allowing his administration to complete its full term in office.
Speaking on Monday, the former Interior Cabinet Secretary delivered one of his sharpest assessments yet of the Kenya Kwanza government, arguing that citizens have shown remarkable patience with a leadership he believes has run the country into the ground since taking power in 2022.
“We are saying Wantam, and even one term is generous for people who have performed so disastrously like this. I don’t understand how you can do this to a country that was on a growth trajectory,” Matiang’i said.
From Growth to Decline
Matiang’i painted a grim picture of Kenya’s economic trajectory under the current administration, claiming the government inherited a country headed in the right direction and steered it toward what he described as its worst state in history. He went further, arguing that the current economic pain surpasses even the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period when global economies buckled under unprecedented pressure.
The comparison was pointed and deliberate. Matiang’i held up his own record under former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the standard the current administration should be measuring itself against.
“During the pandemic under Uhuru’s government, we had economic growth despite all the problems. We managed the country in such a way that life was bearable and manageable because he made sure that whatever decision we took, we had to consider the ordinary Kenyan,” he stated.
The Hustler Narrative Under Scrutiny
One of Matiang’i’s sharpest lines of attack centered on the very promise President Ruto built his 2022 campaign around. Ruto rose to power on the back of a “hustler” narrative, positioning himself as the champion of small traders, boda boda riders, and ordinary Kenyans struggling to make ends meet. Matiang’i turned that promise against him directly, pointing out that those same groups now bear some of the heaviest burdens under the current government.
Skyrocketing fuel prices drew particular attention, with Matiang’i arguing they continue to make daily life increasingly unmanageable for millions of citizens across the country.
The presidential aspirant also issued a direct warning to Kenyans: things could get worse before they get better under the current regime. He pointed to both the deteriorating economic landscape and rising insecurity as signs that the country needs a change in direction before the situation becomes irreversible.
“We are headed in the wrong direction. I think the worst is yet to come; brace yourselves because the final product of our mismanagement for the last four years is being seen,” he said while meeting party delegates from Kiambu.
“There is unprecedented looting of public institutions. Theft left, right, and centre.”
