NAIROBI, Kenya – Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched a stinging critique of President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of sidelining inclusive politics and failing to offer Kenyans a unifying national vision.
Speaking during the Jubilee Party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC), Kenyatta said his party had deliberately kept silent since leaving power in 2022 but could no longer ignore what he described as worrying trends in governance and political discourse.
“I wish to remind Kenyans that Jubilee has been silent for the last three years,” he said. “But silence should not be mistaken for indifference.”
Reflecting on his decade in office, Kenyatta defended his administration’s record, saying it sought to bridge ethnic divides, promote equality, and deliver development without discrimination.
“We worked to bring greater cohesion in our social construct, to reduce ethnic tension and address both social and regional inequalities,” he said. “Even when we were in the presidency, all the work we did was for everyone, and we did not leave any communities out of the developments.”
Kenyatta contrasted his vision with what he termed divisive politics under the current administration, warning against reducing political parties to ethnic enclaves.
“This issue of saying this party is for this community… let us have a party that brings everyone together because of the vision,” he added.
The former president also took aim at the personal attacks he endured during the 2022 campaigns, particularly the “dynasty” tag used by his opponents.
He dismissed the label as misleading, revealing he was raised by a single mother.
“This story about a hustler versus dynasty—I am a single mother’s child,” he said. “When you say you were born with… come and tell Kenyans what you will do for them. What are you doing for them? It does not have to be where you were born.”
He argued that leadership should not be defined by birth or social background but by the capacity to deliver.
“Every child, whether you were born in a mud house, has a right to lead. What matters is being given a chance to serve,” he said.
Kenyatta, who has largely kept out of the public eye since leaving office, said he preferred silence to avoid being misquoted but stressed that Jubilee remained committed to unity and issue-based politics.
“Of importance is that our party, from the beginning, was to build a united party that brought Kenyans together,” he said.
