Senator Nyutu to Ruto: Stop asking opposition for ideas, fix the country
Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto, dismissing the Head of State’s recent remarks questioning what alternatives the opposition has on national development.
According to Nyutu, the President has run out of ideas and is now turning to the opposition for help, a move he termed as both ironic and revealing of Ruto’s failed leadership.
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Speaking in an interview on a local TV station on Thursday, July 24, 2025, the vocal Senator accused President Ruto of trying to deflect responsibility for his government’s poor performance by seeking policy direction from those outside government.
“It is not for President Ruto to ask us what options we have. We have already presented our options to Kenyans. It is Kenyans who will decide, not Ruto. He doesn’t need to validate them,” Nyutu said.
He argued that instead of asking the opposition for solutions, the President should be implementing sound economic policies that lower the cost of living, create jobs, and stimulate growth, areas where the Kenya Kwanza administration has, in his view, failed.
“This government prides itself on sending Kenyan youth abroad for menial jobs instead of fixing the economy to create decent jobs at home. That’s not leadership. That’s an admission of failure,” he charged.
Nyutu offered a series of proposals he said could turn around the economy, proposals he claims the government has ignored in favour of populist “empowerment” programs that deliver little impact.
“Why are we throwing money at token projects like giving women Ksh2,000 after queuing all day, instead of investing in power generation to bring down production costs?” he asked.
“If we reduced the cost of power, we would boost industrial productivity, create more jobs locally, and stop the labour export culture.”
The Senator also challenged the government to rethink its priorities, suggesting more investment in irrigation for arid and semi-arid areas, and capital injection into the Youth Enterprise Fund.
“Why not build dams in Ukambani, Northeastern, and other arable regions to support irrigation and food production, like Israel does?” Nyutu said.
“Why not give the youth proper funding to start businesses instead of symbolic gestures like boda boda handouts that hardly reach them?”
In a sharp rebuke, Nyutu suggested that President Ruto’s repeated jabs at the opposition were less about debate and more about mining ideas for his struggling administration.
“Why is he challenging us every day? It’s because he’s scouting for ideas. Today I’ve just decided to be generous. I love this country. Let the President benefit from my wise counsel,” he said.
The buckle up
Nyutu was also keen to clarify his previous remarks that were interpreted as implying some politicians support the government for personal gain in exchange for roads and water projects.
He said his comments were being twisted and insisted he was responding to what was already suggested by others.
“If someone says you are silent because you’re getting water and roads, then that’s their insinuation. Let it not be seen like I was the one accusing anyone of bribery. I was just responding,” he said, about ongoing spats with fellow lawmakers.
The Murang’a Senator also took issue with comparisons made between President Ruto and other leaders within the opposition who had previously served in lower government ranks.
“You can’t compare someone who holds the presidency and commands all the state machinery to people who were junior ministers under different regimes. That’s unfair,” he said, dismissing efforts to link past human rights records to current debates.
In a pointed conclusion, Nyutu warned that the ultimate judgment on President Ruto’s leadership will not come from political rhetoric, but from the ballot box.
“If Ruto wants options, Kenyans will give him one in 2027, and that is to take him home. That will be the most effective policy shift this country can make,” he declared.
