Wajir DG hails Ruto’s apology for historical injustices in Northern Kenya
By Cynthia Lodite, June 5, 2026Wajir County Deputy Governor Ahmed Muhumed has applauded President William Ruto for publicly apologising to the people of Northern Kenya for systemic neglect and historical injustices.
Speaking on Friday, June 5, 2026, during an interview with a local radio station, Muhumed highlighted the Madaraka Day 2026 celebrations held in Wajir on June 1, where President Ruto delivered an emotional address acknowledging decades of exclusion.
On his part, the Deputy Governor described the apology as unprecedented in Kenyan presidential history.
“It is not common for any president to come to a podium and apologise for historical injustices done to one part of the country. I applaud the president for doing that,” Ahmed Muhumed stated.
Ruto’s apology
President Ruto issued a formal apology to Northern Kenyans for what he termed decades of historical marginalisation and economic neglect.
Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebration at the Wajir Stadium in Wajir County on Monday, June 1, 2026, President Ruto said that the people of northern Kenya have long been subjected to decades of historical marginalisation and economic neglect, committing to them that this is going to be a thing of the past.
“Decades after independence, this region was left behind. Fellow citizens, I want to tell you that on behalf of the people of Kenya today, as I stand HERE as president and leader of our great nation, to the people of Kenya in northern Kenya for this marginalisation, I want to apologise on behalf of the nation of Kenya,” Ruto said.
Reflecting on the historical trajectory of the nation, President Ruto emphasised that the celebration was far more than an exercise in public relations.
Instead, he framed the occasion as a structural turning point for how the Kenyan state interacts with its northern frontier.
“It is not a mere ceremonial gesture; it is a national declaration, it is a moment of affirmation that Madaraka, our freedom, our dignity, and our self-determination were never meant for some Kenyans, never meant for some region and withheld for others,” Ruto added.