In a strongly worded statement titled “LET UHURU KENYATTA BE!”, Ole Kenta questioned why Kenyatta remains a major subject of political attacks nearly four years after leaving office.
“Four years. Four years in office, and still the loudest export of this administration is not roads, not jobs, not the cost of living relief promised at every rally, it is the name Uhuru Kenyatta,” Ole Kenta said.
The Jubilee Party official argued that the political strategy of repeatedly invoking Kenyatta may have worked during the 2022 General Election but would not necessarily have the same impact ahead of the 2027 polls.
“It worked in 2022, it will not work this time around,” he said.
Ole Kenta defends Uhuru Kenyatta
Ole Kenta said retired President Kenyatta, who left office in 2022, is entitled to his rights as a Kenyan citizen, including the freedom to express his views.
“A retired Head of State, constitutionally entitled to his peace, his privacy, and his opinions like any other Kenyan citizen, remains the government’s favourite subject,” he said.
The Jubilee Secretary-General accused the administration of devoting too much political attention to Kenyatta while Kenyans continue to grapple with economic pressures.
“Not the economy. Not the hustlers or mamambogas. Not the taxes that keep multiplying faster than the promises that justified them. Uhuru,” Ole Kenta stated.
His remarks come amid renewed political debate over the legacy of the former president and the role he could play, directly or indirectly, in Kenya's political landscape ahead of the 2027 General Election.
‘Answer for your own record’
Ole Kenta said the current government has had sufficient time in office to demonstrate what it can deliver and should therefore be judged on its own record.
“Let it be said plainly: a government that has been in power for a full term cannot keep campaigning against a man who left office in 2022,” he said.
“At some point, leadership means answering for your own record, not recycling grievances against your predecessor as a substitute for one.”
According to Ole Kenta, the continued political focus on Kenyatta risks distracting Kenyans from questions about the performance of the current administration.
The Jubilee official further argued that the former president's continued political relevance could explain why he remains a target of political attacks.
“If retired President Kenyatta’s presence is such a threat, it is only because his record still stands as a mirror this administration would rather not look into,” he said.
“You do not spend four years attacking a private citizen unless his silence would say more than your speeches do.”
Jubilee official challenges Ruto administration
Ole Kenta questioned why an administration elected in 2022 would continue directing political attacks at a former president who is no longer on the ballot.
“Kenyans did not vote for a government whose main opposition strategy is a man who is no longer even on the ballot,” he said.
“They voted for solutions.”
He argued that the government should instead concentrate on issues affecting ordinary Kenyans, including the cost of living, taxation, employment and economic opportunities.
“If the loudest thing this administration can produce four years in is another smear campaign about Uhuru Kenyatta, then perhaps it is not him who owes the country an explanation,” Ole Kenta said.
‘The government is free to disagree with him’
Ole Kenta maintained that the government has the right to disagree with statements made by Kenyatta but should not continually blame the former president for challenges facing the country.
“Consistently, he has said what he has said as a citizen exercising a right available to every Kenyan,” he said.
“The government is free to disagree with him.”
However, he accused the administration of turning political disagreement into a broader campaign against the former president.
“It is not free to keep making him the scapegoat for its own scorecard and incompetence,” Ole Kenta said.
Why the Uhuru debate matters ahead of 2027
The renewed political focus on Uhuru Kenyatta comes as political parties and leaders position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Although Kenyatta is a retired president and is not seeking elective office, his political influence and the record of his administration remain subjects of intense political debate.
For Ole Kenta, however, the central issue is whether the Kenya Kwanza administration should continue looking backwards or focus on its own performance after taking power in 2022.
His statement challenges President William Ruto's administration to defend its record on the economy, taxation, employment and the cost of living rather than repeatedly invoking the former president.
Ole Kenta's message was unequivocal.
“LET UHURU KENYATTA BE!”
The Jubilee Party Secretary-General's intervention adds another voice to the growing political debate over Uhuru Kenyatta's legacy and the direction of Kenya's politics ahead of 2027.
As the country moves closer to the next General Election, the battle over the former president's legacy is likely to remain a major feature of Kenya's political discourse — but Ole Kenta wants the spotlight firmly placed on those currently in power and the record they will present to voters.
Do you want to be published? E-mail info@thedailywhistle.co.ke or WhatsApp 0721930260
Comments
No approved comments yet.