Outspoken Catholic Bishop Anthony Muheria has asked President William Ruto’s government to reduce its public advertisement and instead focus on development.
The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Nyeri on Friday, February 21, criticised Ruto’s government after a week dominated by the administration’s defence of pronouncements made by the Head of State.
“There has to be less rhetoric. We have to stop advertising and act. The government seems to be constrained to an advertisement of government, advertisement of government projects, advertisements of plans,” Bishop Muheria said.
“Government is not an advertising agency. It is an agency that implements actions. That’s what we want to see,” Muheria added.
President Ruto has received a lot of stick over his numerous promises to build roads and other projects in various parts of the country. However, there are claims that once the head of state folds his tent and leaves the venue, his promises go with him.
“Stop advertising what we should do, will do, or have done. Instead, focus on mobilising people, resources, and experts. We have great capacity, even within our leadership in government, to deliver—especially for the poor,” Muheria asserted.
The government made a swift rejoinder to his remarks while speaking at the burial of Mzee Kingi Mwaruwa Mkweha, father to Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, in Kilifi County. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi stated that the government must inform Kenyans about its activities.
“The government must inform Kenyans what it is doing,” he said, arguing that transparency was necessary to avoid conflict with citizens.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula added, "As a government, we have a duty to continue broadcasting whatever we do so that all Kenyans are aware—from Vanga to Lokichogio, from Malaba to Lamu."
He continued, "Mr President, continue blowing your own trumpet."
On Thursday, Ruto showcased his extensive knowledge of Kenya’s roads—not just those in his backyard but also the dusty paths of northern Kenya, the winding highways of Central, and probably even shortcuts that Google has yet to discover.
This was in response to his critics, who took to TikTok to create a trend remixing his speech announcing road projects in north-eastern Kenya into catchy beats and dance challenges.
Ruto’s rhythmic delivery of the road’s route—"Ndio barabara itoke Mandera, ikuje Ramu, ikuje Garre, ikuje El-Wak, ikuje Kobo, ikuje pale Kotulo, ikuje Tarbat, ipitie hapa Wajir, iende Samatan, iteremke Modogashe, ifike Isiolo, iende Nairobi..."—quickly became an internet sensation.
"I know quite a number of places. I can tell you the roads in northern Kenya as well as I can tell you the ones in Central, Western, and many other parts of the country. And that is because this is my job… It is the job I applied for,” he said.
However, Muheria urged the government to focus on implementing projects rather than merely announcing them.
“How I wish we could serve the people instead of all this advertising, noise, and insulting and demeaning statements. Let’s start construction, appreciate one another, acknowledge contributions and expertise, and bring all these efforts together,” he said.
