Dear President William Samoei Ruto, Mr. President, please listen.

Mr. President, Please Listen

Be sensitive to the cry of Kenyans

As I listen to different people confronting and challenging your leadership, I find myself asking a simple question: Are you listening, or are you hearing without truly listening?

Today, I sit here wondering how Kenya came to accept plans associated with an Ebola preparedness or treatment centre. Ebola is not a small matter. It is a severe and often deadly disease that originated in Central Africa and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons or animals. It raises genuine fears among ordinary citizens. Whether those fears are fully informed or not, they deserve to be heard and addressed openly.

What was the thought behind reaching out to US to have an ebola centre in Kenya? 

Mr. President, do you truly care about the majority of Kenyans who voted for you and even those who did not? Do you care about human lives? Do you care about the struggles and fears that many Kenyans express every day?

Sometimes it feels as though the voices supporting you are either benefiting from your administration or hoping to benefit from it. Yet the question remains: Do you and those around you genuinely have the best interests of Kenyans at heart?

The Bible says:

"Love your neighbour as yourself." Mark 12:31

Mr. President, do you love Kenya? Is your heart truly for the Kenyan people?

I am reminded of the Gen Z protests. During the early days of those demonstrations, many Kenyans felt that your initial response lacked empathy for the lives that had been lost. Later, your tone appeared more reflective and remorseful. Leadership is not only about authority; it is also about acknowledging pain, even when people disagree with you.

Today, as I listened to journalists such as Linus Kaikai and politicians such as Peter Salasya, I heard concerns that go beyond politics. I heard concerns about empathy, accountability, and leadership. During national moments of prayer and reflection, some Kenyans expected acknowledgment of tragedies affecting ordinary families, including the loss of young lives at Utumishi school and Ebola Concerns. Sometimes people are not looking for solutions immediately they are looking for recognition that their pain matters.

What is empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings of another person. It is the willingness to see people not as statistics, votes, or critics, but as fellow human beings.

Mr. President, where has empathy gone?

What if one of your own children had been among those affected by tragedy at Utumishi? Would you not hope that leaders would pause, even briefly, to acknowledge that loss? Even a one minute of silence.

The Bible places enormous value on wisdom.

"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding."  Proverbs 4:7

And again:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."  James 1:5

Mr. President, God allowed you to occupy the highest office in the land. Grace may have brought you there, but wisdom is what sustains leadership. Ask God daily for wisdom. Pursue wisdom in your decisions. Pursue wisdom in who you listen to. Pursue wisdom in how you govern. As  believers we can only pray.

You often remind me of David in the Bible a man who loved God deeply, made serious mistakes, but always found his way back to God with genuine repentance and humility. David's greatness was not that he was perfect it was that he remained teachable before God.

A person after God's heart must love people. They must care about justice. They must listen.

Mr. President, please listen to the concerns being raised by Kenyans.

The Bible reminds us:

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."  James 1:19

Listen to the young people.

Listen to the mothers.

Listen to the unemployed graduates.

Listen to the farmers.

Listen to the business owners.

Listen to those who support you.

Listen to those who oppose you.

Listen to those who have nothing to gain from speaking.

You are undoubtedly one of the most hardworking presidents Kenya has ever had. You are constantly travelling, launching projects, commissioning developments, and engaging citizens. But there is a difference between being busy and being impactful.

Perhaps the question is not whether you are working hard. The question is whether the work is producing the kind of Kenya that ordinary citizens desire.

Many Kenyans continue to raise concerns about:

The high cost of living.

Heavy taxation.

Youth unemployment.

Rising public debt.

Corruption and accountability.

Healthcare challenges.

Education affordability.

Police conduct and human rights concerns.

The growing disconnect between government messaging and citizens' lived experiences.

Whether one agrees with all these concerns or not, they deserve to be heard.

I am also reminded of the Book of Ecclesiastes. It asks profound questions about purpose, meaning, and legacy. Mr. President, what legacy do you want to leave behind? What do you want history to say about your leadership?

Do you genuinely desire to transform Kenya?

Or has power changed you?

Only you and God know the answer.

I often wonder whether, if all power, titles, wealth, and influence were stripped away and you found yourself lying in a hospital bed tomorrow, who would remain beside you? Which of the many supporters, advisers, political allies, and members of your inner circle would still stand with you when everything else was gone?

Life is fleeting.

Power is seasonal.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.

That is why humility matters.

That is why listening matters.

That is why wisdom matters.

That is why empathy matters.

Mr. President, I believe there is grace upon your life. I have observed moments of genuineness in you. But grace alone is not enough. Grace must be accompanied by wisdom, humility, and a willingness to listen.

The Bible says:

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Pursue these principles while the grace of God remains upon you.

Take time to reflect.

Take time to listen.

Take time to hear what Kenyans are saying.

You do not have to agree with every criticism. You do not have to implement every suggestion. But listen. Listen deeply. Listen honestly.

The Kenya you dream of building will not be built through optics alone, nor through endless activity, nor through political victories.

It will be built through wisdom, humility, courage, empathy, and genuine service to the people.

Mr. President, this is my simple plea:

Listen. Listen. Listen to the public opinion.

Not because your critics are always right.

But because the people you lead deserve to be heard.

Listen. Listen. Listen.

Not because your critics are always right.

But because the people you lead deserve to be heard.

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*****

In 2001.president Moi visited Kyanguli secondary school that killed 67 boys. 

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