Cedd Adego

@CeddAdego

Primum Movens

Nairobi, Kenya

Joined January 2013

414 Following

344 Followers

657 Posts

CeddAdego retweeted

Lawyer Dorah

@letstalklawke

about 2 years ago

A Sarcastic Summary of President Ruto’s Recent Interview: In a remarkable display of composure, President Ruto brushed off concerns about the #RutoMustGo movement with a nonchalant “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.” When probed about the tragic loss of lives during recent protests, he assured us that such matters would bother anybody, including him—though his empathetic stance seems to be lost on many Kenyans. Ruto firmly reiterated his campaign promises: no extrajudicial killings and police independence. Apparently, no extrajudicial killings have occurred on his watch, despite evidence to the contrary. The president insists his hands are clean regarding police actions during protests, attributing the deaths to "bad players" who somehow infiltrated the demonstrations and the police force. When confronted with the heart-wrenching death of a 12-year-old (8 bullets), Ruto suggested the child was shot by someone who had stolen a police gun. He magnanimously offered to explain this to the child’s mother once investigations are complete. His compassion is touching, really. Ruto also disputed the Kenya National Commission of Human Rights (@HakiKNCHR) report of 24 protest-related deaths, stating his security team’s count of 19 deaths was the true figure. Accusing the KNCHR of spreading false news (Githurai massacre), he proudly cited BBC News as his fact-checker. Regarding whether the deceased were criminals, Ruto assured that reports would clarify each case after investigations were completed. He shared an anecdote about a person shot for antagonizing the police, reminding us all to behave around law enforcement. Accountability for the police officers involved? Sure, after the investigations. Former MP Alfred Keter's abduction was merely a lawful arrest, according to Ruto, who, when asked how he felt on hearing the screams of Keter's children as he was forcibly whisked away, dismissively noted that children naturally feel pain when seeing their parents in distress. He then posed a rhetorical question about children who lost parents due to others’ crimes, while ironically reasserting his commitment to the rule of law. The president downplayed the illegality of holding protestors incommunicado, arguing that extended police custody does not equate to abduction. This interpretation might surprise legal experts, as the Constitution provides that no arrested person should be held in custody for more than 24 hours without arraignment in court, but who are we to question the president’s legal acumen? Ruto’s concern shifted to the destruction of Parliament and businesses during protests. He seemingly equates these damages with the loss of lives, stressing the financial impact over human tragedy. Apparently, we should be equally outraged about property damage. Ruto claimed that he had no choice but to call in the army to prevent further chaos, despite the tragic outcomes. He promised accountability for those arrested during the protests and assured us that CCTV would eventually lead to the apprehension of those responsible for attacking Parliament and the Supreme Court. When asked about police harassment by plainclothes officers, Ruto justified their actions, provided they identified themselves. Should we ask those who were abducted whether their abductors officially ‘introduced’ themselves before blindfolding them and whisking them away to unknown locations? The president praised the police’s efforts during the protests, asserting they did their best. He dismissed his deputy’s comments on extrajudicial killings, while reaffirming his stance against such actions. Addressing the youth’s grievances, Ruto highlighted his government’s initiatives like the Housing Program, digital job opportunities, and various employment schemes. “When I pushed for the Housing Program it wasn’t about the homes but about employment,” he said, “there’s now 160,000 people working on that program.” He added that opportunities for digital jobs are being promoted though provided no specifics on what such jobs were. He noted that his government’s concern for the youth has been evident, even if the youth themselves seem unconvinced. The president said that the issues of the young people who have taken to the streets did not start in the last two weeks and that he was not president when they were born. Ruto defended the Finance Bill 2024, attributing its withdrawal to his sensitivity to the youth’s protests, although he warned of dire consequences such as 46,000 teachers not being absorbed into TSS, coffee debt, no support to farmers, continued importation of potatoes from Europe, and a 30 billion cut from county budgets. He described the MPs who supported the bill as heroes - a sentiment not shared by the protesting public. “One day Kenya will know that the MPs who voted YES to the Finance Bill 2024 are the true heroes because they saw the opportunity for a better Kenya.” Clearly Kenyans beg to differ, if the weeks-long protest is anything to go by. “We are in a very difficult financial position,” he said, “Kenyans must understand this.” Kenyans seem to understand this more than the president does at this point. The president outlined the nation’s financial woes, detailing the overwhelming debt and the necessity of the Finance Bill to avoid further borrowing. The president averred that by rejecting the Finance Bill, Kenyans basically told him to borrow even more money “because if we don’t raise revenue from ourselves then what’s the alternative?” He seemed oblivious to alternative solutions like cutting government expenditure or tackling corruption, preferring to burden the public instead. Despite criticism from seasoned journalist @EricLatiff about lying and mismanagement, Ruto insisted he’s made significant strides, particularly in tourism and international relations. The interviewers played clips of the president during his pre-election campaign trail where he said that the use of police to harass people is wrong and raising and raising of taxes brazenly is hurtful to citizens, to which the president responded saying “I don’t believe in using police to settle political scores and I took measures to make the economy better like dropping the price of maize flour.” “I have done the best that I could,” he went on to say, “I have raised the country’s profile. We are now accorded a lot of respect globally and this can be backed by data from the tourism sector which shows that all Kenyan hotels are now operating at over 80%.” He further said, “When I went to China and America, we got money to implement a number of major projects and initiatives like manufacturing computer chips, and machinery and equipment for 70 learning institutions.” He pointed to increased funding for universities and revived fertilizer subsidy program as evidence of his achievements. Eric said, “Listeners on @SpiceFMKE said to tell you that you are tone deaf. You keep asking for more money each financial year, starting from 2.9 trillion, to 3.6, and now 4.2 trillion, yet the people do not see the fruits of this money. Teachers are not paid, hiring persons to unconstitutional positions like CAS, giving hundreds of millions to unscrupulous departments like the offices of the wives of the president and his deputy, and medical sector on strike for over 3 months. They see all the opulence and extravagance from political elite who address the public condescendingly when held accountable.” In response to this, the president said, “Where I’ve invested money is evident. I have taken measures that have increased funding for universities that were shutting down, revived the fertilizer subsidy program which had previously been shut down for 5 years. The Offices of the wives of the president and deputy have always existed but will now be part of the expenses cut out of the budget among others.” Ruto acknowledged the need for budget cuts, hinting at potential reductions in ministries, advisors, and state departments. He encouraged patience and understanding from the youth, promising to engage with them on platforms like @XSpaces. An interviewer asked the president what he was doing about matters corruption, citing examples like the fake fertilizer scandal (where no action was taken against the CS), the condemned sugar that was found in the market and the dibble oils saga (which we do not know if that still made it to the market anyway). The president responded saying, “I fired KEBS CEO after the sugar scandal. On fake fertilizers, CS Linturi was taken through the parliament process, and the CEO of Kenya Cereals Board together with 7 other staff are currently in court for the same.” The interviewer asked why the big fish (CS) was being spared and the small ones being sacrificed to which the president responded, “We have to follow legal procedure and give the benefit of the doubt. I cannot fire someone without evidence. During Uhuru’s term, Uhuru fired 6 CSs and later it was found out that they were innocent and we then had to make them ambassadors to make up for it.” The president continued, “I fired the people involved in the edible oils saga and they are now in Court. We now have new management at Kenya National Trading Association.” The president also said, “We need to ban harambees because it is occasioning and breeding corruption. There is something fundamentally wrong when a politician donates 20 million to a church when their salary cannot afford them to do that.” On the question of public debt, the president said, “The public debt which stands at over 10 trillion is in the public domain and I invite forensic experts to advise. Once this conversation is over I shall share more about the public debt with Kenyans, hopefully in about a month.” An interviewer asked, “What are you telling the youth regarding what you’ve heard from their points of concern?” The president responded, “I will cut down the budget in my office. I want engagement with the youth so that we can discuss the way forward matters development. I don’t want to be the leader that took the country in the wrong direction. I believe I am the person who can solve the problems that Kenya has at a time like this.” The president went on to say, “Good friends, my sons and daughters who supported me during the elections, I hear you. Be patient.” The president championed himself as the biggest advocate for exporting Kenyan labour. He still does not seem to comprehend that Kenyan youth do not want to have to suffer working abroad to afford a barely decent life. We want to be able to make things work here. The president then promised that 300,000 people will be hired in the housing program including architects and the likes. He said they government is sorting out the digital space, promoting local manufacturing to create more jobs and reducing political largesse. The president then addressed young doctors and clinical officers graduating this year to go into internship next year and teachers graduating expecting to be absorbed into permanent and pensionable jobs. He said, “The Finance Bill had 18 billion for teachers, 3 billion for doctors and 10 billion for the universal health program. Even without the Finance Bill we will still work it out.” An interviewer asked, “What should we expect as protestors take to the streets again this coming Tuesday?” The president replied, “KDF will not be in the streets and will only show up as a last resort, Police will be there to protect peaceful protestors and apprehend the criminals.” The president addressed those who have lost confidence in Parliament and are calling for fresh elections, telling them that we must all be guided by rule of law and should not abrogate our constitution because of the unfortunate events of the last 2 weeks as that would lead to anarchy. The president was asked whether he can tell Kenyans that he has full confidence in his cabinet. After a little beating around the bush, he said, “My cabinet maybe could have done better. I will do a soul searching on how we need to move forward.” Who will tell the president that Kenyans have done a little soul searching themselves and come to the realization that he, and his government, have failed us terribly and we no longer want them to shape up. We want them to ship out! In essence, the president's interview was a masterclass in deflection, minimization, and self-congratulation, leaving many wondering when the leadership will align with the people's needs.

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