Ruto defends national dialogue as Kindiki pushes first-world Africa agenda

President William Ruto has defended next week’s planned National Dialogue on Kenya’s roadmap to a first-world economy, accusing the United Opposition of resisting the initiative for political reasons rather than engaging with its development agenda.

Speaking at State House, Nairobi today where he hosted Muslim religious leaders from all 47 counties, Ruto said the proposed dialogue was designed to give Kenyans an opportunity to shape the country’s long-term development priorities through public participation.

“Lazima tuungane pamoja ili tushauriane kuhusu maendeleo ya kitaifa kupitia ile tunaita public participation,” he said.

The president accused opposition leaders of rejecting the proposed development charter because their focus was on capturing political power rather than advancing national development.

“Eti wanapinga development charter… hawana haja na maendeleo… maendeleo wanataka ni ya kutaka mamlaka na kugawanya Wakenya,” Ruto said.

He urged religious leaders to reject what he described as divisive politics, accusing the opposition of lacking a development agenda and instead seeking to divide Kenyans along ethnic lines.

“Hawana sera, kazi yao ni kuzunguka kugawanya Wakenya kwa msingi wa ukabila na chuki,” he said.

Ruto also challenged the opposition to face him in next year’s General Election, saying the contest should be based on ideas and performance rather than political slogans.

“Wanafikiria kushinda uchaguzi ni kusema ‘One Term’ mimi niko macho nawatazama tu… yao ni ooooh tujenge nyumba ya kuku,” he added.

The meeting was also told that the government plans to ratify and establish the Islamic Foundation next month.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale thanked Ruto for what he described as equitable development across religious communities.

“Tunashukuru sana kwa sababu haubagui dini ya Kiislamu kupitia maendeleo,” Duale said.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the government’s priority was to ensure all Kenyans benefited equally from public services.

“Jambo muhimu ni kwamba Wakenya wote kuhudumiwa kwa usawa,” Mudavadi said.

Meanwhile, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called for an accelerated transformation of Africa into a first-world continent, arguing that the continent has the resources and human capital required to achieve developed-world status.

Speaking today at the Infra for Africa Forum and Africa50 General Shareholders Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he represented Ruto, Kindiki said Africa must build confidence in its ability to deliver long-term development.

“Africa needs to build confidence in itself. As Africans, we must learn to have confidence in our continent and in our capability to do what others have been able to do,” he said.

Kindiki urged African governments to look beyond short-term political and economic gains and establish policies, projects and programmes capable of delivering sustained development over decades.

“We must ensure that the frameworks for projects, programmes and policies we have in place today will still be in place in 30, 40, 50 years ahead so that we take Africa into first world status because it is possible to do it as already done by other countries,” he said.

He cited Kenya’s Infrastructure Fund as an example of innovative financing, saying the government was mobilising capital from the stock market by selling stakes in government-owned entities to attract private-sector investment.

Kindiki said Africa’s transformation would also require political stability, predictable policies, technological advancement, stronger public-private partnerships and better governance.

He stressed that citizens must remain at the centre of development, warning that infrastructure alone would not deliver inclusive growth.

“We need to have the people with us. We must carry the people along; women, young people, rural and urban poor,” he said.

“It is not enough to build roads, railways, seaports, harbours and gas pipelines. It is important to ensure the people travel the development journey with us.”