The 'It wasn't me' government

He was now the second-most powerful man in the nation and he wanted the man behind him, who had been a former president for less than a normal TikTok video length, to feel his wrath.

Mr Gachagua, knowing the hard task ahead of them as far as reviving the economy was concerned, attempted to snap their supporters back to reality after a hard-fought campaign season where they promised to start turning the tide "as soon as we put the Bible down."

"The truth of the matter is that we have inherited a dilapidated economy that is facing almost an economic shutdown. We have a 10 trillion public debt, 6 million Kenyans have no employment, 14 million are in CRB, we have a demoralized public service. It is your prayers that will help our president to put up a team that will take us back to where President Kibaki left us 10 years ago," Gachagua told a mammoth crowd at the Kasarani stadium. 

And so started a chorus that would be a favourite of the Kenya Kwanza administration more than a year later. Any current crisis is met with the same line, "It's not us, it was the last guy..." This is on everything from the economy to leaking roofs.

Now a year and some months to spare, the Kenya Kwanza government has still clung to the accusation against the Jubilee government, led by ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta, that they are to be blamed for the current deplorable living conditions Kenyans are enduring and Ruto is working hard to save the situation.

A few days ago a video of a roof leaking inside our international airport went viral shaming a proud nation and shocking Kenyans wondering how such scenes are still being witnessed in 2023.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen sprung into action, rushed to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and blamed the leaking roof on the previous government.

"When we got into office, we found that the projects in the previous regime were substandard. When the renovation was done on Terminal 1C and E, it was in a hurry and temporary because there needed to be set up an in-field project which was costly…” said Mr Murkomen.

Kenyans online were livid with the minister wondering why the roof was not leaking for the previous months and why such normal, almost daily chores were being blamed on a government that left power over a year ago.

DP Gachagua defended Murkomen saying the blame rests on the previous government.

”JKIA was done at a massive cost but today, it is a shame to the profession of engineers and architects. Public resources were expended, and when you go there, you feel sorry, yet engineers and architects certified, and on the basis of that certification, payments were made,” he said.

In his State of the Nation speech, President Ruto did not tire of reminding Kenyans that he took over a country that was teetering on the edge.

"On 13th September 2022, when I took office, I undertook to ensure the urgent transformation of our economy and to stop and reverse the negative trends of runaway unemployment, yawning inequality and widespread poverty which were denying Kenyans their dignity and extinguishing their dreams," said the president.

But even he realised that the whole 'it wasn't me' agenda was not going well with Kenyans and had to explain that he was not using it as an excuse.

"It is important for us to point out that we began the implementation of our mandate to transform Kenya's economy from the bottom up under extremely difficult circumstances, not to excuse failure or justify inability or omission to do the necessary work."

On Sunday, Ruto's predecessor Uhuru came out of his retirement cave to air his displeasure at being used as an excuse.

But before he even spoke, President Ruto was in Bomet County with the usual chorus.

Customary to his remarks, President Ruto fingered Kenyatta's administration over the sorry state of the economy.

While promising that he will actualise his ambitious plan of resuscitating Kenya's economy, Ruto said that he inherited a debt-burdened country caused by the previous regime.

"This country was headed to a place where we would be overburdened by debt to a point where we would be taken where those who cannot pay their debts go to... I will not be the president who will take Kenya there," he stated on the Ksh.10 trillion public debt.