Archbishop Muheria urges Ruto to change his ‘insultive’ leadership style
The Catholic Archbishop of Nyeri, Anthony Muheria has challenged President William Ruto to change his leadership style.
Speaking on Citizen TV, Archbishop Muheria said Kenya’s current leaders, including President Ruto, should all go back to leadership school.
“Leadership needs to be humane, empathetic and compassionate. That’s a leader. Currently, the leader (President Ruto) is rough, insultive, arrogant and imposing. I think we are going to a very wrong leadership and that’s why the religious leaders are saying ‘Let’s talk about what style of leadership, supporting you for your agenda but also talk about we are one family,’” Archbishop Muheria said.
“Even though we think differently, we can sit down. A family problem and feuds are not solved by violence, hatred and insults. We sit, chat and truly listen to one another; and then we concede in one or the other and find a compromise. And at times, we may not agree but we don’t let that build hate among us,” he said.
Also read: Senator Cherargei asks Ruto to suspend the constitution and ‘crush’ Raila
President Ruto has been very confrontational in the face of the continued anti-government protests against the runaway high cost of living and the new Finance Act 2023 that has introduced and increases taxes on Kenyans struggling to make ends meet.
“He (Raila) has now come to bring violence so that we can incorporate him into the government. That will never happen. We must take this person home. There is no other medicine for him,” President Ruto said in Mai Mahiu at the weekend.
President Ruto also claimed that his predecessor Mr Uhuru Kenyatta is the one funding the Azimio la Umoja protests.
Also read: Kenya responds to UN claims that police used excessive force during protests
“Now I see he (Raila) has planned demonstrations and I want to tell my friend, Uhuru, leave this old man alone. Stop giving him money to buy Mungiki to burn Nairobi. You were president and we supported you. You went ahead to support a man full of riddles and we crushed him. Leave him alone, and if you don’t, we will send you back home with your riddle man,” President Ruto said.
While the president and his allies have been persistently talking down on the opposition leader, pressure is mounting on the head of state to instead address the issues that Kenyans are facing instead of solely focusing on Mr Odinga.
“In the meantime, Your Excellency, it is of utmost importance that you instruct the Cabinet Secretaries and other government officials to promote rule of law and cease use of provocative language. The prevailing sense of impunity needs to be curtailed,” a group of religious leaders cautioned President Ruto last week in a lengthy statement.
Also read: Why self-proclaimed prophet was kicked out of President Ruto’s function