Nairobi News

GeneralMust ReadNews

Reuben Kigame to President Ruto: I love you but you are destroying this country


2022 presidential aspirant Reuben Kigame, a gospel musician who faced off with President William Ruto before he was locked out of the presidential race, wrote an open letter to President Ruto on Monday, May 29, 2023, telling President Ruto that he loved him but that he was misusing his power to systematically destroy Kenya.

In his letter, he told of how he had castigated previous administrations and therefore, there was no personal attack in his letter towards the President and that he was doing it out of love.

“I want to begin this open letter by telling you that I love you Mr. President and do not intend any ill in sharing what you are reading. I know you are surrounded by lots of friends who may be telling you that things in the country are ok and moving from bad to good and best. This letter is intended to give you the citizens’ perspective. This is truth as I see it, being out of government. It is shared to help you turn around and save yourself, your team and the nation at large from destruction. I have written open letters to previous presidents, including your predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, so this is not personal,” began Mr Kigame.

Mr Kigame went on to tell the President that he was given everything voters could give him to lead them but instead of leading, he has been destroying the country and every day, Kenyans are “treated to one more layer of destruction.”

“If we let you go on the way you are, we will not have a country, but you can also be sure of this, we will also not have you as president. In this open letter, I want to warn you in love about four things that may bring your downfall sooner than later, and the sooner you turn around and do the right thing, the better. I know, you think that because you have the instruments of power you can use them to prevent your downfall and to have your way, but it is that kind of thinking that would hasten the downfall I am talking about,” added Mr Kigame.

He went on to remind President Ruto of pride which caused the downfall of Lucifer, Cain, kings Nebuchadnezzar, Rehoboam and Herod when God punished them.

“Great men and women, past and present, have been brought down by the sort of things you and your friends are doing to Kenyans. God asks the question I would like to ask you in the context of how you are treating Kenyans: ‘If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?’ But the verse goes on to say, ‘if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you but you must rule over it.’ Mr. President, four things are going to bring you and your government down,” Mr Kigame went on before listing the four things he believes will bring down President Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza government.

He listed the “unending display unforgiveness and the open practice of revenge, especially on former president, Uhuru Kenyatta, his family and the people who worked for and with him” as his first point. In this instance, he called out Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua too as they both implied that their leadership cannot reconcile the nation.

Mr Kigame went on to warn President Ruto of claiming to do things in the name of God while the church did not benefit from the things he and his government are doing to the people of Kenya.

“This attitude of revenge, favoritism and crony capitalism, coupled with your open ethnic appointments will not make you survive as a leader. Take it from me. Unless you change this, the nation called Kenya will spit you out as a leader. It has not worked in the past. It cannot work here. It will never work. It will bring you down unless you change,” said Mr Kigame.

Secondly, he listed President Ruto’s overtaxing of his fellow citizens while extravagantly spending the same taxes, telling him that this approach will never work in leading Kenya to prosperity. Mr Kigame was also of the opinion that President Ruto is being misled by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in implementing ruthless taxes and privatizing institutions to become economically stable.

Mr Kigame’s third point was that President Ruto’s presidency will soon come to an end because his priorities are wrong, especially in forcing people to own homes when they did not ask for it instead of providing them with affordable food. He also called out President Ruto for his obsession with the mega projects that will cost billions in building the houses.

“The more you insist that they must have houses, before food, the more your motives become clear. It is not the houses you want the people of Kenya to have; it is what you and your friends will get financially from building houses for Kenyans by force. If you insist that we must have houses instead of affordable and available food, Mr. President we will impeach you together with your members of parliament. Why? Because we don’t want your houses before we have food,” said Mr Kigame.

On his last point, Mr Kigame said President Ruto’s obsession with implementing global policies and programmes at the expense  of Kenya’s sovereignty and integrity will end his leadership. Mr Kigame listed President Ruto’s sending of troops to DRC before dealing with the bandits situation in Kenya, lifting the ban on GMO foods and allowing foreigners to market their foods in Kenya instead of sitting down with Kenyan farmers, running to Europe and America for agreements on “so-called” food security, importing fertilizer instead of creating employment for that in Kenya and allegedly silently accepting LGBTQ+ in Kenya while “pretending to be against it to please your foreign masters.”

“In the process, you have made our country a dumping ground for foreign goods, including maize, instead of empowering our local farmers. You already talked about the need to expand and protect as well as remove cartels from the tea and coffee sectors but say little on the need to invest and expand our indigenous food crops like cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, arrow roots, sorghum, millet, yams and our legume varieties that are drought-resistant, and addressing post-harvest losses. You are ready to lease land in Zambia to grow maize while farmers languish here in untold suffering and Galana-Kulalo continues to receive casual attention,” said Mr Kigame.

In the end, Mr Kigame told President Ruto that he was on his own with his foreign policy and the aforementioned matters but if he turned around, he would find support and encouragement awaiting him.

“Love, justice and mercy as Micah advises, remember the widows and the orphans as Isaiah and James advise. Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and fight for the rights of the oppressed and God will bless you. As Isaiah advised, learn to do what is right and stop doing what is wrong. I have shared openly in love. I do not desire your downfall. I want you to succeed. Hence the warnings. Better are the blows of a friend than the kisses of an enemy. God bless you and God bless Kenya.” Mr Kigame concluded.