Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has criticized President William Ruto's leadership approach, questioning his priorities following recent exchanges with opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
In a post on Friday, December 19, Sifuna took issue with what he described as a self-centered mentality among leaders, arguing that true leadership should focus on collective national development rather than personal interests.
"Exactly the mentality that will get us to Singapore. Ati, when you get power, you start with yourself. Do I want the road to my village tarmacked? Yes. Is it a national priority to be elevated over, say, Bomas-Kiserian? No,” Sifuna stated.
“In 2027, get rid of these dealers who think starting with themselves is the measure of leadership.”
The Senator's remarks come amid an ongoing dispute between President Ruto and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka over a road near the opposition leader's home in Tseikuru, Kitui County.
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The exchange began on Sunday, December 15, when President Ruto criticized Kalonzo during a church service in Kiambu, accusing him of being a naysayer and leading campaigns against his transformative agenda for the country.
The President questioned Kalonzo's credentials on development matters, pointing out that despite holding influential positions in successive governments, the road leading to his home in Tseikuru remains untarmacked.
"There are those saying we can't achieve all that I have announced. I want to tell them that they are the ones who can't achieve anything. They have no plan. It would be unreasonable to wait for someone who has never developed his rural road," Ruto said.
"The road leading to his home is dusty and muddy, and he has been in power for decades. If he can't develop his rural road, where will he get the smartness to plan development for Kenya? That is why they argue it is impossible, because they have never planned anything," the President added.
Kalonzo responded on Monday, December 16, saying the President had made him a subject during what should have been a worship service. The former Vice President also corrected Ruto's claim that he had been in politics for 50 years, clarifying that his political career spans 40 years.
"President William Ruto was in Kiambu, and instead of going to worship, he made me a subject and attacked me. He claimed that where I come from, there is no road, yet I have been in leadership for 50 years. He cannot even do the maths, it is 40 years, not 50. That means 40 years of serious experience," Kalonzo said.
The Wiper leader defended his record, stating that while serving as Vice President, he launched the construction of the Kibwezi-Mutomo-Kitui-Mwingi-Tseikuru-Maua road, awarding the contract to the Chinese firm Sinohydro.
"When I was Vice President, I launched the construction of the road with a contractor named Sinohydro, which I want Ruto to deny," Kalonzo stated, adding that the road connects Ethiopia with Mombasa.
President Ruto fired back on Tuesday, December 17, dismissing Kalonzo's claims and asserting that the road was constructed during his administration, following the 2013 General Election, with the support of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"He is claiming that he is the one who launched the road from Kibwezi all the way to Mbondoni. I want to tell him to look for fools; there are no longer fools in Kenya. He did not build that road; it was built by Uhuru and me when we took over the government, and we have the facts," said Ruto.
