Former Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau on Monday lamented that travelling to Kenya through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was depressing.
Kamau, who was a close ally to former President Uhuru Kenyatta, was appalled by Kenya's poverty rate, stating that the poor state of the nation was evident when a traveller lands from an exotic trip abroad.
During Uhuru's tenure, the PS, who had previously served as Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, was tasked with marketing Kenya abroad.
“Sometimes one arrives home from an international trip, say from Dubai, and one looks out the window of the plane at the depressing and chaotic urban sprawl,” he expressed his frustration with Nairobi’s landscape.
Macharia further criticised JKIA, claiming that one of its terminals appeared to be a makeshift warehouse.
“One just wanna weep. It is like we are still in the stone age,” Macharia voiced his disappointment to the motherland.
Asked why he was crying foul when he had generally remained quiet as PS, Macharia remarked that he was criticising the country in good faith.
“I have always been critical of what I thought could be improved. I will not stop,” he remarked.
“Whether I am in or out of official duties. Our condition is improved by constructive criticism.”
The career diplomat who spent over a decade at the apex of the Executive has been critical of the government since 2022.
That was after Uhuru handed over power to William Ruto despite supporting Azimio leader Raila Odinga.
Macharia’s criticism of the JKIA terminal and the state of the nation was contrary to the Kenya Kwanza allies who criticised Uhuru, accusing him of running down the airport.
On November 14, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen alleged that JKIA's roof started leaking owing to the shoddy work overseen by Uhuru’s administration.
The former President, however, refuted the allegations and asked President Ruto and his allies to focus on running their government rather than invoking his name in cheap debates.
"I am no longer scared. We have been threatened and told a lot of things. Each time someone fails in their mandate, they blame the previous government. I am used to the blame and life continues," Uhuru stated, while addressing his followers at a Thanksgiving ceremony in Kitui on Sunday, November 19.
