Former president Uhuru Kenyatta has broken his long silence to sharply criticise President William Ruto’s leadership, taking issue with what he described as divisive politics and the misuse of the “hustler” narrative.
Speaking during the Jubilee Party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC) on Friday, Uhuru questioned the current administration’s direction, calling for a return to politics guided by unity, inclusion and a clear national vision.
“I wish to remind Kenyans that Jubilee has been silent for the last three years,” Uhuru said, adding that the party had chosen to remain quiet to avoid unnecessary political confrontation. However, he said the silence could no longer be maintained given the growing concerns about how the country is being governed.
Reflecting on his tenure as head of state, Uhuru defended his administration’s policies, particularly efforts made to foster national cohesion, reduce ethnic tensions and bridge social and regional inequalities.
“We worked to bring greater cohesion in our social construct, to reduce ethnic tension and address both social and regional inequalities,” he said.
“This was used against us in the last campaigns and called an attempt to erode democracy. I wonder what they call theirs today.”
Uhuru stressed that during his time in office, development projects were distributed fairly across all communities and regions. He warned against the dangers of using political parties to advance ethnic-based agendas, arguing instead for parties that unite people through shared goals and national vision.
“Even when we were in the presidency, all the work we did was for everyone, and we did not leave any communities out of the developments,” he stated.
“That is the way of improving the lives of Kenyans. This issue of saying this party is for this community—let’s have a party that brings everyone together because of the vision,"
Turning to the political attacks directed at him during the 2022 campaigns, the former President dismissed the “dynasty” label that was often used by opponents to undermine him. He defended his upbringing, saying personal background should not determine one’s capacity to lead.
“This story about a hustler, this is a child of a dynasty. I am a single mother’s child,” he said. “When you say you were born with… come and tell Kenyans what you will do for them. What are you doing for them? It does not have to be where you were born.”
He emphasised that leadership should be based on the ability to serve and not one's background or origin.
“Every child, whether you were born in a mud house, everyone has a right to lead, and of importance is that they are given a chance to lead,” he said.
Uhuru said he had deliberately chosen to stay away from political debates to avoid being misquoted. However, he reminded delegates that the Jubilee Party was founded on the idea of unity and inclusiveness, and that vision should not be lost.
“These days I don’t talk a lot, they will misquote me,” he said. “Of importance is that our party from the beginning was to build a united party that brought Kenyans together.”