Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has criticized President William Ruto’s vision of transforming Kenya into a first-world economy, likening it to a “season two of lying.”
Speaking as a presidential aspirant, Matiang’i argued that Ruto has failed to deliver on his 2022 campaign promises, including the much-touted bottom-up economic agenda.
Ruto has repeatedly compared Kenya’s potential to countries like Singapore, South Korea, and China, emphasizing the possibility of rapid economic growth through strategic leadership and self-reliance.
The President has pledged to strengthen the economy, reduce dependence on foreign loans, and ensure that future development programmes can be funded from local resources.
However, Matiang’i dismissed these claims, warning that Kenyans should not be misled by what he described as political theatrics.
He referred to Ruto’s first campaign promises on the bottom-up agenda as largely unfulfilled and criticized the current rhetoric on turning Kenya into “Africa’s Singapore” as the second round of similar political deception.
“It’s a joke. Some of the things we are doing, I don’t know. I’m restraining myself, to be very honest. I don’t want to say the joke of telling me about Singapore and that we don’t have kids in school. Wait in January and see what’s going to happen. Lying season one was about the bottom-up and hustlers, and now we’re going to give Mama Mboga billions and boda boda billions and I don’t know who billions. We had a billion-giving spree in season one of lying. Now season two is Singapore,” Matiang’i said.
Ruto, on the other hand, has defended his vision, arguing that bold leadership and decisive policies are required to guide Kenya toward meaningful transformation.
He believes that with the right leadership, Kenya can overcome historical challenges and emulate the rapid development of countries that were once in similar positions.
Matiang’i, positioning himself as an alternative presidential candidate, contends that the Kenyan public should scrutinize these promises closely and not be swayed by slogans that lack practical implementation.
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