Lawyer Wahome Thuku faults Ruto’s Mashujaa Day speech
City lawyer Wahome Thuku has faulted President William Ruto for focusing too much on the late ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga during his Mashujaa Day 2025 address at Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui County.
In a strongly worded post shared on his verified Facebook page on Monday, October 20, 2025, Thuku argued that the Mashujaa Day event should have been used to outline the government’s next course of action rather than repeat tributes that had already been expressed throughout the previous week.
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Lawyer Thukiu attacks Ruto after Mashujaa Day 2025 speech
“Mr President William Samoei Ruto, we heard everything we needed to hear about Baba Raila Odinga in the last five days, and we buried him honourably yesterday,” Thuku wrote.
“Now it’s not the time to repeat about him but to do what he told and taught us. Action, not rhetoric.”
The outspoken lawyer challenged the President to follow in the late Raila’s footsteps by prioritising integrity and service over political showmanship.
He said Kenyans were growing weary of endless speeches and wanted to see tangible progress in key sectors such as education and economic empowerment.
“Baba hated the culture of inviting thousands of delegations to the State House to bribe them with our diminishing state resources when children cannot even afford to go to school.
Also watch: Kenyans flock to Ithookwe stadium for Mashujaa day celebrations
“He never used money to buy support; he used persuasion,” Thuku added.
He went on to urge the president to stop using State House events for political mobilisation, calling it a betrayal of the very ideals Raila Odinga stood for.
“Can you, Mr President, promise that never again will you invite people to the State House to give them millions of shillings from our national coffers?” he posed.
Message to visiting leaders
Thuku concluded his post by welcoming Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was among the foreign dignitaries that graced the Mashujaa Day 2025 celebrations, saying Kenya remains a country that values friendship and international cooperation.
His remarks have since sparked debate online, with a section of Kenyans agreeing with his criticism.
In contrast, others defended the president, saying Ruto’s continued praise of Raila reflected statesmanship and national unity at a time when the country was still mourning.
