Businessman and politician Jimi Wanjigi has launched a sharp attack on the government, accusing it of distracting Kenyans with political theatrics instead of offering real solutions to the country’s economic crisis.

Speaking during a political talk show aired by a local television station on Monday, August 18, 2025, Wanjigi painted a grim picture of a nation weighed down by hunger, poverty and a struggling economy, while the leadership diverts attention with what he described as “showbiz politics.”

“All they are doing is simply running away from the problem. They can’t solve it. They do not have the revenue to solve our problems. All they can do is showbiz,” Wanjigi said, warning that Kenyans cannot be fed on speeches and political optics.

He accused leaders in the broad-based government of creating what he termed an “alternative reality” that ignores the daily suffering of millions of citizens. According to Wanjigi, this diversion is designed to mask the government’s inability to address inflation, unemployment, and the high cost of living.

“Keep showing you that there is another alternative reality and that reality is fake,” he said.

“There are some people who eat in the showbiz, and many of them are vomiting on us. While many are hungry, some are now new people to this thing, like you are hearing broad-based, and some of the people talking there would drive you crazy because they are not talking about reality,” he said

Wanjigi’s remarks come at a time when the cost of basic commodities remains a burden for many households. With food inflation pushing the price of unga, sugar, and cooking oil beyond the reach of ordinary families, the businessman said the leadership is glossing over Kenya’s most urgent crisis.

“The reality is, they cannot solve our economic problem. They are glossing over it,” he insisted, adding that the façade of progress only deepens public mistrust.

Wanjigi, a long-time critic of successive governments, argued that Kenyans deserve honesty and accountability, not public relations stunts. His statement adds to growing voices of dissent over the government’s handling of the economy, as discontent spreads among ordinary citizens and sections of the political class.

His warning highlights the widening gap between official narratives and the lived reality of Kenyans grappling with unemployment and the daily struggle to put food on the table.