William Ruto is going through the same pains as Uhuru Kenyatta, his predecessor. The fact that his deputy Ruto was constantly campaigning during the busiest period of the 2022 General Election campaigns was publicly bemoaned by an irate Uhuru.
Accusing Ruto of not carrying out his duties, he even issued a challenge for him to step down. This Labor Day, President Ruto ridiculed a few lawmakers who remained nameless, charging them of being attention-seekers instead of serving the interests of the people.
And we don't need to lie to one another; instead, we should be frank and honest with one another. It is unnecessary to pursue popularity since those of us who were elected to positions of authority did so to serve and improve our nation and to represent the interests of our electorate.
"I see a lot of leaders putting a lot of effort into trying to win people over. If your whole concentration is on maintaining your popularity, when will you have time to work for the people who elected you? We cannot achieve leadership or the nation's development if we lose sight of the reasons behind our election."
This is significant since Uhuru made similar remarks at the Nyayo National Stadium during the same celebrations in 2022, accusing Ruto of trying to gain popularity by placing the blame for the nation's issues on the administration.
The president became irate, saying that his deputy ought to be working to solve the problems that the public faces instead of berating the administration for things like the exorbitant cost of living and other grievances.
In addition, he said that Ruto was not doing his job and advised him to quit if he was unhappy with the administration.
"Instead of helping me address the situation you are all over in the marketplaces inciting people against me and then you call yourself a big leader," Uhuru stated.