President William Ruto on Friday once again expressed his anger over media headlines, which he claimed were sponsored to undermine his transformative agenda.
Speaking while presiding over Labour Day celebrations held in Vihiga County, the first time the event has been held outside Nairobi, Ruto urged Kenyans not to be swayed by what he termed as “screaming headlines,” maintaining that the country was on the right track.
He went on to use the biblical story of Bartimaeus to defend his policies and track record, a day after mainstream media reported a slowdown in economic growth and rising pressure on households.
Just as Bartimaeus regained his sight and many doubted it, Ruto said he was not concerned about the coverage, arguing that no one can dispute a transformed Kenya.
“That is why I have absolute confidence in the state of our nation and its trajectory. Do not be distracted by the noise. Do not be swayed by screaming headlines. Or by the chorus of alarm from those who trade in the currency of fear,” he stated.
He tore into his critics, saying they could not come to terms with the country’s rapid development, particularly the construction of roads and vowed to do whatever it takes to deliver the long-delayed changes to make Kenya a first-world nation
“They can see what is happening because they live here, as we all do. But they cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the change, the progress, and the transformation, because to do so would strip meaning from the only narrative they perpetuate”, he asserted.
He said he was pleased that national conversations were now centred on transformation rather than ethnicity and religion.
“Kenya is transforming. Kenya is changing right before our eyes. The noise may command attention, but it cannot, and it will never, change reality”.
The President, who spoke strongly about SHA, said the true story of a nation is not told in sponsored headlines but is written in the daily actions of its citizens, “like the 30.8 million Kenyans who have registered with SHA, and the thousands who continue to do so each day.”
