Are President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua aware of the frustrations ordinary Kenyans are going through today?

Did it surprise them that Kenya Kwanza lawmakers told the President and his deputy to their face on Tuesday during a Parliamentary Group Meeting that the high cost of living is gravely gnawing at their popularity and that of the ruling party across Kenya?

These questions are relevant today because earlier this year during the signing of performance contracts by Cabinet and Principal Secretaries at State House, Nairobi, Gachagua told members of the Executive to frequently visit all parts of Kenya with a view to meet and mingle with the electorate in order to understand the situation on the ground and pick out the right information that will drive formulation and implementation of the Government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda policies.

It is apt to assume that Gachagua was informed by realities on the ground because the self-proclaimed ‘Truthful Men’ was actually being truthful owing to the fact that – despite there being no scientific survey – Ruto’s Cabinet is probably the most detached from the electorate in independent Kenya.

Most of the Cabinet and Principal Secretaries spend a considerable percentage of their time in Nairobi shuttling between their offices and high-end entities defined by attractions of leisure, pleasure and pressure.

To a large extent, they are responsible for the nosedive in the popularity of Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza regime slightly over one year since they assumed office.

During the launch of a biography by former Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura on Thursday last week, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria apologised to Kenyans (some of who he mentioned by name) whose phone calls he and his colleagues no longer pick.

To a large extent members of Ruto’s Executive have not been of meaningful use to their appointing authority, the government they serve or even the people and country.

Not so long ago, Gachagua told members of the Executive not to treat the rest of Kenyans with utter contempt and spite. He condemned the insults and arrogant language used by those senior State officers towards the common Kenyans.

The arrogance within Ruto’s Executive has been allowed to creep in for over one year. That is too long a time. It should not be allowed to continue.

Only Ruto and Gachagua can ensure that this uncouth behaviour is tamed. Let them get their troops to work for Kenyans.

Hubris and rhetoric from Ruto’s Executive has led to dereliction of duty and remains a constant scar on the image of Ruto’s regime.

Ruto and Gachagua must ensure their juniors concentrate on service delivery in their remaining time in office.

There is no doubt Ruto and Gachagua have very challenging four years ahead of them. They have no option but to call their troops to order. To start with, let them direct members of the Executive to move to the countryside every weekend to meet and listen to the electorate.

Listening to a majority of the Ministers in the Kenya Kwanza administration leaves the impresssion that they and the citizenry are miles far apart.

President Ruto is today addressing Kenyans in Parliament on the Status of the nation. Truth is that the nation is in a very bad state in everything: economically, politically and socially.

Of course, there are some few convincing cases committed to service delivery. But they are only a few.
It is Ruto’s duty to turn all that round. He needs an Executive that can help him do that. He needs a Cabinet that is in touch with the grassroots.

An Executive that feels the people’s challenges. Only then will he and Gachagua realise how dire the situation is in the country.

—The writer is the Revise Editor, People Daily newspaper.
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