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Amisi quotes Machiavelli, warns leaders against public hatred
31st January, 2026 06:37 AM
Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has advised leaders to avoid actions that fuel hatred among the public.
In a post on his official X account on Saturday, January 31, 2026, Amisi referenced principles from Niccolò Machiavelli’s 16th-century political treatise, The Prince, noting that a ruler, such as President William Ruto, must avoid being hated by the people because power ultimately belongs to them
“In the words of Machiavelli in his book, The Prince, written around the 16th century, a ruler (ruto, for example) must avoid being hated by his people because ultimately the power belongs to them,” Amisi stated.
Machiavelli is best known for writing The Prince, a book on political leadership and power dynamics. In that work, Machiavelli advises rulers to steer clear of actions that make them hated by the people they govern, arguing that public goodwill is a key source of stability and security for any leader.
According to scholars, Machiavelli taught that a ruler should seek the people’s support and avoid contempt and hatred, because when a leader is hated by many of their subjects, it opens the door to conspiracy and rebellion. Goodwill from the public can protect a leader from internal threats and maintain order.
“A prince should make himself feared in such a way that, if he does not win love, he at any rate avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared while he is not hated… And he will not be hated if he keeps his hands off the property of his subjects and citizens, and their women,” Machiavelli says in his book.
