Nyaribari Masaba MP aspirant accuses Ruto of hawking rhetoric during Kisii tour 

An aspiring Member of Parliament Saturday criticised President William Ruto, accusing him of engaging in political rhetoric rather than delivering tangible development during his recent visit to Kisii County.

Ruto was in Kisii Wednesday as part of a regional tour where he addressed residents, launched youth empowerment initiatives and reiterated his administration’s commitment to the bottom-up economic agenda.

During the visit, Ruto highlighted government programmes targeting youth and small businesses, infrastructure development and job creation, insisting that his leadership was focused on action rather than empty promises.

However, Nyaribari Masaba MP aspirant Alphoncious Machogu Nyaseti dismissed the remarks terming them “recycled campaign gimmick ” built on quick sand.

“Every such trip by Ruto across the country is laced with rhetoric, nothing much,” he stated.

He argued that Kisii residents have repeatedly heard similar pledges over the years with little visible impact on the ground.

“People are tired of speeches and political slogans. What Kisii needs is clear timelines, budgets and accountability for projects that have already been promised,” the former DCI officer said.

Nyaseti, whose campaign has focused heavily on local development, criticised what he described as “unfulfilled assurances” from Ruto over key road infrastructure, notably the long-promised, Getengererie-Ramasha-Riombaso junction and Keroka–Ibacho–Kiamokama roads — critical corridor linking major trading centres that have remained in limbo despite multiple commitments from political leaders.

Keroka–Ibacho–Kiamokama road was highlighted in the National Assembly by local MP Daniel Manduku as early as mid-2024, when he requested a parliamentary statement on the project’s status and the reasons for lack of progress more than a year after a presidential pronouncement to upgrade the corridor to bitumen standard.

Several constituents have echoed frustration with the continued poor state of the two roads — noting that promises made during previous election cycles and development engagements appear to have yielded little visible progress.

Nyaseti argued that Ruto’s administration has not matched rhetoric with action on stalled roads in the constituency, saying that the lack of visible progress undermines confidence in national leadership and diminishes prospects for local economic growth.

He accused Ruto using public tours to score political points ahead of the next general election.

The aspirant further claimed that unemployment, high cost of living remain major challenges in the country despite repeated assurances from national leaders.

“All is not well, parents are struggling and you can judge by the thousands of grade 10 candidates who were nearly dropping out of school,” he said.

He urged the President to focus on completing existing projects before unveiling new initiatives.

Ruto, while addressing residents earlier, maintained that his administration was committed to transforming Kisii through development-driven policies.

He said the government would continue investing in youth empowerment, roads, housing and other key sectors to stimulate economic growth.