Julius Malema, South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, criticizes President William Ruto for failing to fulfil his promises to Kenyans.
Julius Malema is presently in Kenya to launch the Pan African Institute at Lukenya University. While in Kenya, he mentioned that the president’s election promises vis-a-vis his actions are as distinct as day and night.
“I don’t know if President William Ruto means it because he said so many things, and I can’t locate him these days, because the things he said during election and the things he’s doing now are two different things,” he said in his address.
According to Malema, Ruto promised to do away with the dollar and build Africa’s own currency. After he took over power, he has done nothing to lead Africans to that direction.
Furthermore, the opposition leader of South Africa commented on the visit that Britain’s King Charles III paid to Kenya recently. Kenya hosted a State banquet, according the King high priviledges befitting his royal status.
Significance of The King’s Visit
Malema however, didn’t see any significance from the King’s visit. He mentioned that the King could not even bring himself to offer a direct apology to Kenyans over the harms accrued to them during the colonial era.
Kenyans had placed a condition on the Kings visit, that he ought to apologise to Kenyans for the harms they went through. Among those seeking an apology are MauMau freedom fighters who were condemned in the country and treated as terrorists until the late President Mwai Kibaki gave them the title of freedom fighters.
“The latest (of Ruto’s ills) being putting a red carpet for a murderer; a person who killed the Kenyan people, coming into this country, receiving a red carpet and being saluted by our own army. The Kenyan army is a product of the Mau Mau rebellion, and those who killed our people in the Mau Mau rebellion cannot be saluted by the same army of the children of those who were killed during Mau Mau rebellion,” stated Malema.
He further mentioned that Kenyans have a duty to stay true to the course. That the King and Britain ought to be reminded of what harm they did to Kenyans.
According to Malema, the King only mentions that it was bad for it to happen and it shouldn’t have. He however failed to offer a direct apology for the actions they took. Julius Malema attributed this to the possibility of the King thinking that his race makes him more superior. According to Malema, the King thinks his superiority does not qualify him to apologise to those junior to him.
Kenya’s Identity
He added: “We call upon the Kenyan government to be firm and to decide what they want to be, do they want to be Pan Africanist or do they want to be proponents of neocolonialism? You can’t have it both, only one call must be made and that call is open Africanism.”
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African Nations have been seen slamming Kenya for supporting neocolonialism and being a puppet of the Western countries. Among the reasons for this is the decision to deploy Kenyan policemen to Haiti. In addition to that, Presidents from Western Nations have been seen praising Ruto for his decisions contrary to the citizens within the country itself.
President William Ruto prior to winning the 2022 General Elections, made promises to Kenyans that he is yet to fulfil. Kenyans have been calling him out on the issues but his administration is asking for more time. With Julius Malema calling his out, broken promises are no longer statemensts attributed to anti-Ruto citizens.
Among the promises that are yet to be fulfilled are promises to lower the cost of living, the empowerment of the youth, the economic support of the hustler nation, among others. Kenyans expected the president to address the cost of living during the State address today.
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