A video of a young President William Ruto (then MP) castigating the late President Mwai Kibaki's plan to create 400,000 jobs for mama mboga and boda boda resurfaced on Saturday, June 24.
In the video, Ruto vehemently rejected the plan for the thousand opportunities for mama mbogas, arguing that they were not valid employment ventures.
Ruto spoke at a campaign rally for Raila Odinga in Meru, in 2007. The two were then members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party before their fallout.
"Raila Odinga should be President and serve the people. He is a Kenyan citizen and patriot. Kibaki promised to be in power for only five years. He should be here campaigning for Raila," Ruto, then a member of ODM's defunct pentagon, rallied the crowd.
He called out Kibaki, urging him to provide a framework to guide the creation of the promised jobs.
"Alitumbia ati kuna wamama wanauza mboga sokoni na vijana wa boda boda barabarani. Ati hiyo ni kazi imepatikana (He told us that there are women selling vegetables in the market and young men on motorcycles. He claimed those are jobs he would create)," Ruto trolled the President.
The Head of State urged Kibaki to create better business opportunities for the women rather than propagating a narrative around selling vegetables.
"We tell you (Kabaki) that you can as well do the jobs of women in the market and the youth on boda bodas," he added.
Despite, Ruto criticising Kibaki as the President, he later lauded his leadership and drastic measures to improve the economy and create jobs for Kenyans.
"He laid a firm foundation both in education and infrastructural development, and he was the architect of our economy," Ruto eulogised in April 2022.
Ruto on Mama Mboga & Boda Boda Riders
During the 2022 campaign period, Ruto sold the hustler narrative with a promise to create a government centred around mama mboga and boda boda riders.
"Our promise to the small trader, mama mboga, and boda boda riders, is we will create favourable measures for the business community," he stated in Parliament in September 2022.
With Ruto increasing taxes to generate revenue, the opposition argued that he was reneging on his promise to boost the hustlers.
The head of state was also accused of failing to lower the cost of living. However, the President argued that he would create jobs through measures proposed in the Finance Bill 2023.
He cited the Housing Fund as a key project that would help him secure his legacy. The Hustler Fund was also launched to enable Kenyans to access affordable digital loans.
