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OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF KENYA

By Reuben Kigame

Today is the 13th of September, 2024, exactly two years since Dr. William Samoei Ruto assumed power as Kenya’s 5th president. He swore by the Christian Bible and Kenya’s Constitution before a huge multitude of citizens gathered in broad daylight at Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium, shouting for the nation and the world to hear: “I William Samoei Ruto, in full realization of the high calling I assume as President of the Republic of Kenya, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Kenya; that I will obey, preserve, protect and defend this Constitution of Kenya, as by law established, and all other laws of the Republic; and that I will protect and uphold the sovereignty, integrity and dignity of the people of Kenya. –– So help me God.”

This open letter is sent as a declaration that Dr. William Samoei Ruto has not only grossly violated this solemn oath of allegiance found in the Third Schedule of our Constitution, but also, by using the office he assumed two years ago, has become a most dangerous dictator and criminal who needs to be arrested by the people of Kenya or International Court of Justice and jailed for terrible crimes against the people of Kenya. As an educated adult citizen with only nine months difference in age between us, havinggraduated the same year from university, and with soundness of mind, I confirm that this open letter is objective, factual, civil and in good taste, with the purpose of nothing else but pleading that Dr. Ruto be urgently removed legally and constitutionally from power through a parliamentary petition, people’s referendum or by every humane means including the option of a benevolent coup d’etat by our Kenya Defense Forces, ensuring that he is not harmed so that he can face trial. President Ruto can save himself from this option by simply resigning and peacefully handing over power back to the people of Kenya in accordance with the laws of the land.

Constitutional presidents have a social contract with citizens. There are duties and obligations for each. When one party breaks the contract, the other can question or cancel the contract. Kenya’s social contract between the Kenya Kwanza Administration and the people needs to be cancelled and withdrawn completely. Why? Because Ruto and his close allies have betrayed the people and turned against them. He has interpreted leadership to be an economic privilege to benefit his family and friends. Ruto has been ok making more than 70 trips out of Kenya in less than two years, imposing taxes on bread, sugar, cooking oil, air time, content creation, while spending billions on the renovation of statehouse and the deputy president’s residence. His ministers have been seen showing off in public the expensive things they own as Kenyans starve and labour to death. In the recent Gen Z demonstrations, citizens (majority youth) simply challenged the runaway economic measures that were carried in Kenya’s Finance Bill 2024, a carry-over from the 2023 Bill which citizens rejected but Ruto imposed on the people The protesters, peaceful and only armed with bottles of water and cellphones, marched in accordance with Article 37 of the Constitution to challenge the economic mismanagement of the country, the corruption and impunity, opulence and the trigger-happy imposition of taxes on just about everything. The Gen Z’s were unhappy with the members of parliament simply rubberstamping everything by the Executive instead of representing the people. Instead of listening and dealing with these issues, Ruto unleashed the police and hired goons on protesters. In a public address to the nation he called the demonstrators “treasonous” and criminals, vowing to deal with them decisively, and dealing he has continued to do. Journalists were violently attacked for covering the demonstrations and some of them hospitalized with the world watching and continuing to do business with Ruto. Many citizens were killed and their bodies damped in quarries and mortuaries. Several were forcefully abducted and held incommunicado; some of those, like Bob Njagi, are still missing to this day. All the while, the international community, led by America, continues to view Ruto and his cronies as political and business allies. America even called Kenya a “non-NATO ally.”

This open letter insists that Ruto is dangerous and must be stopped from being in office. I first dispense with the fact that Dr. Ruto has grossly violated the oath of allegiance as follows:
1. He swore that he was in full realization that the office of the president of Kenya he was assuming was a “high calling.” Ladies and gentlemen, a “calling” is not an appointment. It is not a matter of chance and luck. It is not about winning an election with majority votes, real or imagined. A calling is a solemn assignment. It is entered into as a contract or covenant and you swear to it. A covenant or contract is never between two people. For a contract or legal agreement, there are always two or more parties entering it, but then there is always a witness. In legal matters a lawyer witnesses. In religious covenants, God is always the witness. Ruto has adversely broken the contractual covenant he entered into with the people of Kenya, but which was witnessed, not only by the Chief Justice of Kenya but also by First Lady, Rachel Ruto, several Heads of State and representatives of various diplomatic missions. Worse still, because of lifting a Bible without shame, Ruto also evoked the Supernatural; the Heavens; divinity – and solemnly said, “So help me God.” I am completely appalled that instead of these witnesses helping Ruto to realize how far he has fallen from this covenant, presidents, his wife Rachel, the Chief Justice, diplomatic missions etc. simply urge Ruto on and continue like nothing wrong has happened. It is time all these witnesses woke up to hear the sound of political and economic sirens and the ring of smoke detectors, warning of a serious apocalypse in Kenya which may be both an implosion and explosion. In June 2023 in another open letter I warned that the direction Ruto was taking the country was wrong and that it would have dire consequences. He despised and, with the help of Facebook, went ahead to limit my social media presence. Even if you bury truth, it will germinate Like Rehoboam of old, Ruto is receiving wrong crony advice and, unless he turns, such advice will take him down..
2. Ruto swore that he was becoming the “president of the republic of Kenya.” The Constitution in Article 131 declares that as president, Ruto is supposed to be the symbol of national unity and shall respect, uphold and safeguard this Constitution; safeguard the sovereignty of the Republic; promote and enhance the unity of the nation; promote respect for the diversity of the people and communities of Kenya; and ensure the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. These responsibilities have been grossly violated with the president playing ethnic political cards and blatantly ignoring the wishes and suffering of the people of Kenya. He has instead surrounded himself with cronies that rubberstamp his ego and mismanagement of the country, more recently and has included Raila’s close allies in government.. He swore to “bear true allegiance to the Republic of Kenya”, but has instead systematically turned Kenya into a personal business enterprise to be auctioned to the highest international and local bidder at the expense of our sovereignty and preservation as the people of Kenya.
3. Ruto swore to “obey, preserve, protect and defend this Constitution of Kenya.” Those are four commitments. He has not obeyed the Constitution in view of his duties and responsibilities. He has not obeyed the requirement to form a government of national unity and he has not lived to the presidential expectation of being a symbol of unity. He has violated the Constitution and failed to preserve the sanctity of the lives of the citizens of Kenya in accordance with Article 26. He has failed to protect the rights of citizens to voice discontent with government through picketing and instead unleashed a combination of police, the Kenya Defense Forces and government-protected goons to shoot at, injure and kill peaceful protesters who were simply asking for accountability in government. He has abducted and held many Kenyans incommunicado. Some have been held for months and we do not know their whereabouts. Some have told of torture, harassment and intimidation. He has not protected the right of citizens to assembly, freedom of speech and association as well as freedom of belief, opinion and conscience as carried in Articles 37, 33 and 32. In short, he has no regard for the Constitution he swore to obey, preserve, protect and defend.” He vowed that he would obey, preserve, protect and defend, not just the Constitution but all other laws. Instead, Ruto has become extremely lawless, dictatorial and possessed by the feel of power to the point of using the Executive to capture Parliament, the IEBC and has even attempted the capture of the Judiciary. He has remained silent as his appointees have disobeyed court orders. That is the evidence of someone who is not just power-hungry but dangerous to the Kenyan and international society. As Kenyans we are able to abolish the office of the President if we want, and Ruto and the international community need to know that the power Ruto is enjoying is delegated in accordance with Article 1 as well as the Preamble of our Constitution.
4. Ruto swore and contracted/covenanted that he would “protect and uphold the sovereignty, integrity and dignity of the people of Kenya.” Instead he has indignified them by subjecting millions to abject poverty, depression and hopelessness. He has killed our children and maimed others. He has been heard saying publicly that he did not know about any abductions. As his children and those of his cronies go to the best schools and have access to the best services locally and overseas, millions of Kenyan children cannot go to school because the Ruto Administration has messed up the school system, education funding and healthcare, reducing citizens to mere taxpayers and burden bearers. He does this and lives callously as he globe trots from one country to another, enjoying the trappings of power and privilege and borrowing money without the consent of Kenyans or Parliament and demanding that we pay more taxes to fund the opulent lifestyles of his family and friends. Ruto continues to grab public land in the name of affordable housing without the consent of Kenyans and has no evidence that poor Kenyans have benefited whatsoever from this housing obsession which now threatens to go down in Kenya’s history as yet another mega scandal, that is after forcefully deducting people’s salaries unconstitutionally and refusing to refund even after the courts declared the deductions unconstitutional. Ruto has sold our sovereignty to foreign interests individually and as deputy president of the previous regime. He has sold our airports, railways, highways, minerals, oil wells, all in the name of public-private partnerships. Last year he released a list of parastatals he intended to surrender to this exploitative plan. This leads me to the final part of my letter.

Why is Ruto a an economic criminal and dangerous dictator that must be stopped from any further occupation of the office of Kenya’s president? I will answer this important question by showing you how Ruto has messed up Kenya’s economy and how one more day in office implies hell for the people of Kenya. Follow me closely now. The main economic problems in Kenya are endemic unemployment, inflation, high cost of living and uncontrolled public debt. All these are related to corruption and the rise of oligarchs and cartels in Kenya, all blessed and sponsored by government. We have gone down economically during the last eleven years and this is when Ruto and the former president, Uhuru Kenyatta, were in charge of our economic policy. According to Kenya National Bureau of statistics, 38.9% of Kenyans aged 18-35 lack formal employment. This is despite youth making 35% of our population. These youth are forced to do menial underpaying jobs and they are under-utilized human resource. They feel let down and ignored by their country.
In June 2023 inflation in Kenya was 7.8%. The rise of prices in basic commodities such as fuel, cooking oil and electricity continue to drive the cost of living beyond the reach of over 8 million Kenyans who are currently living in abject poverty on less than 1dollar a day. The high cost of electricity alone is killing the manufacturing sector in Kenya. Industrialists have requested the Government to reduce power prices by reviewing lopsided power deals without success.
The uncontrolled ballooning of public debt places a huge burden of debt repayment on the general public and even on future generations. Kenya's public debt now stands at over 11 trillion and over 60% of our tax revenue goes towards debt repayment every year. This leaves very little for development when recurrent expenditure is considered. If only these debts were put into productive industries, we could use the income from these industries to repay the debt. Now the debt money is pilfered by corrupt officials and Kenyan end up paying loans plus interest for money they never received in the first place. The high student loans are aimed at keeping Kenyans yoked to debt even from a very young age and so keep us in modern slavery in our own country.
Corruption is the common denominator in all these symptoms of a sick economy. Corrupt cartels prevent government from investing in local industries so that they can keep importing almost everything. As a result, we end up creating employment in already rich countries like China or Europe. The same cartels which includes politicians sign lopsided contracts for power supply and fuel importation which keeps electricity costs high and fuel prices up. This chases away investors while creating a few filthy rich Kenyans. The current mess we are seeing at JKIA over the Adani deal is a poster example of such lopsided deals which are simply put daylight robbery of Kenyan resources.
Every year we lose over 600 billion shillings to corruption. All this is detailed in the Auditor general reports which are totally ignored as the looting spree continues. The total disregard for the auditor general shows that corruption is sanctioned right from the top in Kenya and most of it is budgeted for. If you are corrupt, Ruto will bring you close and appoint you in government. If you have any case against you, it will be sanitized and Ruto will forgive your sins and make you white as snow. This is the wrong way to do government.
To improve the economy and reduce the cost of living we must appoint servant leaders of integrity – professionals of character - do away with cartels and eliminate corruption. It is not a secret that I wanted to be president in the place of Ruto and would have done government quite differently. My administration would focus on morals and integrity in government from the outset, form a lean administrative team of professionals driven by meritocracy, reduce debt under the principle that we must live within our means, but most of all, go with hammers at corruption and impunity, which would unleash trillions back to our economy. The corrupt need to be in jail; not in government. We must bring back what has been stolen by a few and hidden away in foreign banks. Both national and county government officials monthly loot and get away with it. They need to be arrested and put behind bars. This is the new social contract my team and several other Kenyans are seeking to sign with the people. Ruto and his team need to vacate and give us a chance along with other well-meaning citizens at home and in the diaspora to redignify the people of Kenya through accountable leadership. We have to do this, we must do this to rescue our country from the hands of merciless cartels and runaway corruption.

Now let me tell you what would happen if we keep giving ruto and his Administration one more day in office. I will consider this by asking and answering a question that was raised by Country musician, Diamond Rio:
“Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished for one more day with you
One more day, one more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still for one more day with you
One more day
First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl
I'd unplug the telephone and keep the TV off
I'd hold you every second
Say a million I love you's
That's what I'd do with one more day with you …”

For a Romantic wish like that of Diamond Rio, lovers would ask for one more day with their special friends; not money, not a mansion, nothing but one more day.
In the Bible Solomon was asked by God to name what he wanted God to do for him. He asked for wisdom and got it. God told him, because you have not asked for the blood of your enemies or riches, He would give him wisdom plus what he did not ask for.

What does one more day in office by this Ruto government mean for the people of Kenya?
1. One more scandal.
2. One more lie and false promise.
3. One more abduction.
4. One more disappearance without trace.
5. One more murder.
6. One more day for children to be at home without school.
7. One more day of borrowing money on behalf ofKenyans without permission and without the option not to pay.
8. One more mental health case.
9. One more campaign trip.
10. One more day of launching projects already launched before.
11. One more business deal with unknown partners.
12. One more destruction of our environment.
13. One more trip around the world using our taxes.
What we need is a group of committed patriots, without lies or stolen wealth, to occupy statehouse and all state offices and deliver one more day of dignity, one more day of accountability, one more day of jailing thieves, one more day of taking our children to school, one more day of affordable health services, one more day of mercy and kindness, one more day of creating jobs for our youth right here at home. We need leaders who can give parents one more day of economic freedom and dignity, with everyone coming back home to family with something to eat and drink. We need one more day to show our children and adults on the streets that they belong to homes and not to the cold of the night and dangers of the streets. We need one more day of truth; one more day of justice; one more day of values and one more day of hope. We want one more day of demarginalization and real devolution, one more day of cleaning our environment and one more day of smiling faces.

In conclusion, I call upon every citizen of Kenya at home and in the diaspora to reject this government and never give it a chance again. It is the worst thing that ever happened to Kenya with regard to leadership. I call upon everyone who witnessed the swearing in of this government to go back to that day and then speak truth to Ruto and his team instead of pretending that all is or will be well. I call upon international partners to return to a place of conscience and serious introspection, asking the real “how” question. How can they continue to support a murderous and abducting regime that works against its people? America, China and European trading partners who support this government need to think again. One more euro or dollar in support ofprojects by this government is ammunition against the people of Kenya, not to mention the amount of looting involved. To support ruto’s government is to support genocide, dictatorship and corruption. I challenge all leaders including Union chiefs to come together and unite under civic duty and patriotism and tell the Ruto Administration that we cannot take it any more. I challenge all believers in God to fast and pray this regime out of power. It is a liability to Kenyans and to humanity at large.

A CHRISTIAN LOOKS AT THE “OCCUPY” MOVEMENT IN KENYA

By Reuben Kigame

Is the “occupy” movement antithetic to the Christian faith?
Can the Church be “occupied?”
Should Christians be involved in the “Occupy” demonstrations?

To answer the first question, in order to decide whether the “Occupy” movement enhances or diminishes Christianity, one would need to look closely and honestly at the aims of the movement. My reading of the movement, and especially as summarized in Noam Chomsky’s 2012 book, “Occupy” makes me conclude that the movement enhances and promotes biblical Christianity more than it diminishes it.

What is Noam Chomsky’s main argument in the book? He argues that “occupy” is not anarchist. It desires Reform rather than Revolution, advocating governmental support for economic growth over austerity measures. Chomsky discusses the importance of getting the corporate sector out of politics and how to introduce greater democracy in nations. In my estimation, inclusive democracy is not antithetic to biblical democracy. God is interested in the care for the poor, widows and orphans and, through the prophets, condemns the capitalistic exploitation of people by a rich elite, e.g. in the book of Amos. Chomsky discusses how the Occupy movement could hope to influence and control the Foreign Policy of nations, directing it away from its support for autocratic regimes and military interventionism. he argues that the protests of the 1930s led to the formation of the “New Deal”, and that the protestsagainst the Iraqi war although unable to stop the conflict – helped to moderate the use of weaponry utilized by the U.S. I hold the same opinion for resistance to the Vietnam War as well as the events of the Glasnostand Perostroika Russia under Gorbachev leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall. I believe in the nonviolent resistance of Martin Luther King Jr, the fight against N**i madness by Christians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Germany as well as the anti-apartheid resistance by Nelson Mandela and his Umkonto Wesizwe. For the same reason, the MauMau movement was good for everyone in Kenya, including Christians. My opinion is that this is not antithetic to Christianity.

So we move to the second question: Can the Church be “occupied?” My straight answer is “no.” I have three reasons for my stand. First, we must understand that the word “church” does not refer to buildings and edifices, hence Church is not merely institutional. The word “Church” is translated from the Greek “Ecclesia” which means “those who are called” out of the paganism and secularism of a corrupt world into a union and fellowship with God through the knowledge of and obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Church is a community of faith. It is people, and not sanctuaries. Christians are a community that crosses the limitation of geographical or national boundaries. The cry for justice and truth by Kenyan Christians is the same as that of Christians in Asia or Syria. Followers of Christ can meet and worship in a huge cathedral, but they have also been known to worship under trees, in tents and even online. Therefore, to “occupy” Church would be synonymous with occupying people, and, to my knowledge, only Jesus, the Holy Spirit or demons can do that. Secondly, nobody can “occupy” the Church because all authority in heaven and on earth is ultimately in the hands of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20) and one of these days the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdoms of our God (Isaiah 11:1-9). We sing it at Christmas that the “government will be on His shoulders.” (Isaiah 9:6). It is Jesus who told His disciples that He would build His Church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18). Thirdly, it is absurd to occupy or seek to reform an institution or movement that supports equitable distribution of resources as seen in Acts chapter 6 and many Old Testament Scriptures.

Last but not least, should Christians be involved in the “Occupy” demonstrations? My answer is “yes they should.” I must add that I have personally been involved and so I am not asking you to believe or do what I have no commitment to myself. My reasons for involvement include the call in Proverbs 31:8-9 which says, “Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor.” I do this with all my heart and strength in obedience to God to whom I owe my highest allegiance. I do so on social media but also on the streets. I have marched and chanted with the Gen Z’s in Eldoret, Nairobi and Mombasa. I have driven to police stations, court rooms and the office of the DPP to plead for the release of protesters. It is tough and dangerous to do all this, especially as a blind man, but challenges must bow before God’s call. Proverbs 21:13 says whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and will not be answered. In Genesis 21:25, Abraham protested against king Abimelech because of a water-hole which Abimelech’s servants had snatched from him by force. Leviticus 19:17cautions against bitterness in protests but encourages them: “Let there be no hate in your heart for your brother; but you may make a protest to your neighbour, so that he may be stopped from doing evil.” Solomon further states that “A word of protest goes deeper into one who has sense than a hundred blows into a foolish man. He adds in 27:5: “Better is open protest than love kept secret. I could go on and on. Of course there are those who will look at one side of Scripture such as Romans 13 and argue that we should obey government no matter how wicked it is because all authority of government is from God. If we were to accept this kind of reasoning and interpretation of Scripture, it would lead to the justification of dictatorship, murder, abductions and torture as the will of God. In that case, nobody should resist the devil or run away from sin because they exist in a world God made. We must have a balanced view of Scripture and apply everything within a broader understanding of the whole Bible and not just parts. So, let us meet at the next protest. As long as it is peaceful, I am in. In most cases, it is the government that sponsors goons and encourages police brutality in demonstrations. I believe God is always on the side of truth and justice, hence it is our spiritual mandate to join protesters who fight for these things.