Ruto aides must deliver security, not speeches
By Editorial, July 19, 2025Three years after the 2022 election, President William Ruto’s administration continues to govern through lofty words and hollow promises.
While his aides crisscross the country telling citizens what the government is “planning to do”, Kenyans are left wondering when these plans will translate into concrete improvements in their daily lives.
The latest episode of this government-by-words unfolded this week in northern Kenya, where Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen held yet another “consultation” tour.
Speaking in Lodwar on July 16, 2025, Murkomen announced that the government is “set to review” the three-year-old curfew imposed in Turkana County.
This kind of talk exemplifies everything wrong with the administration’s approach to governing.
For three long years, Turkana residents have endured punitive curfews that have strangled economic activities and social life.
The Kakuma-Kalobeyei curfew, imposed in March 2025, and the Maliza Uhalifu restrictions in Kainuk in February 2023 have created a prison-like existence for law-abiding citizens.
Traders complain bitterly about lost revenue, families speak of enduring restrictions on their movements, and the community’s trust in government is eroding.
But instead of decisive action, Murkomen offers more waiting. He promises to “review” curfew timing, extending hours to 10 pm and 4 am, while dangling the possibility of lifting restrictions “in three months, if conditions become good.”
This is not leadership, but procrastination dressed up as “consultation.”
No doubt, the security challenges in Turkana are real and urgent.
In February, more than 20 Kenyans were killed in a cross-border attack by gunmen from Ethiopia, while in May, four fishermen died in a similar assault.
But imposing blanket curfews on entire communities while failing to address the root causes of insecurity is ineffective and unjust.
The Shirika Plan, which officials have touted as a solution for refugee integration, raises additional security concerns that the government has failed to properly address.
While the intention to move away from traditional refugee camps has its merits, implementation must be transparent and involve genuine consultation with host communities about security implications.
Murkomen’s acknowledgement that Turkana faces “complex security challenges”, including porous borders, only spotlights the administration’s failure to develop actual solutions.
Instead of more consultations and reviews, the government should be implementing concrete measures: deploying adequate security, properly guarding the border, creating economic opportunities for young people, and addressing the underlying causes of conflict.
Governing through press conferences and promises is lame. The Ruto administration must stop treating governance as a permanent campaign and start delivering the change it promised.
Actions, not words, will restore public confidence and improve lives.