Nairobi — President William Ruto has challenged critics to provide fact-based accounts of government performance, cautioning against "reckless negativity" directed at the public.
Speaking during the Jamhuri Day celebrations on Thursday, Ruto stated that the day is also an opportunity to expose fake news intended to discredit the Kenya Kwanza government, in efforts to sabotage hope and dampen the government's resolve.
He emphasized that the results and positive impact of the government's collective pursuit of economic change cannot be dismissed, urging Kenyans not to be misled by critics who distort the truth about the government's efforts.
"When we say that the cost of basic food commodities has come down, it is a fact. [We] say that inflation has gone down, it is a fact," he said.
"When we say that Kenyans who have registered for Taifa Care are receiving better services than before, it is a fact. We encourage everyone, including our critics, to engage based on facts and the truth."
"If some of us persist in the culture of reckless negativity, how long will cynics continue to mobilize Kenyans to deny facts they can touch, feel, and see? What will they say in a few weeks when we begin handing over keys to the new owners of affordable housing units?" Ruto posed.
Disinformation
Ruto added that there is a time to resist and a time to accept, a time to deny and a time to admit, a time to doubt and a time to believe.
However, he stated that in the face of undeniable evidence, skepticism must give way to confidence, and Kenyans must reject the deceptive embrace of disinformation and fake news.
Ruto assured that the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda will succeed and deliver results for Kenyans.
This comes as the Kenya Kwanza government has faced criticism from several stakeholders, including the opposition, the church, and Kenyans on social media platforms, accusing it of failing to implement the promises made in their manifesto before they came to power.
Church criticism
The Church has been at the forefront, condemning the Kenya Kwanza administration for being increasingly out of touch with the realities facing ordinary Kenyans.
Religious bodies, including the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Anglican Church of Kenya, have accused the government of using brutal repression to silence critics, asserting that the administration relies on half-truths and outright lies.
The Church has also criticized issues with the new university funding model and the dysfunctional transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Additionally, the opposition has criticized the government over the vaccination program for 22 million cattle, claiming there is more to it than meets the eye.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka said there is a foreign agenda pushing Kenya into a situation that will permanently alter the genetic structure of local breeds, with far-reaching health consequences for Kenyans.
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He called on Kenyans to reject the countrywide exercise, warning of plans to turn them into guinea pigs.
"The negative consequences are twofold. The first issue is the deterioration of livelihoods in pastoralist communities. The second is human exposure to unusual industrial meats, the ramifications of which have yet to be fully investigated. Essentially, these are side effects," said Kalonzo.
The former Vice President noted that the vaccines will permanently alter the genetics of local breeds, leading to various levels of malformations in the livestock.
The government has promised to vaccinate all 22 million cattle in the country by January 2025. Another 50 million sheep and goats will also [be] vaccinated to control livestock diseases.
