President William Ruto has come out guns blazing to dismantle the opposition’s narrative that Kenya is a "failed state," terming the claims as reckless economic sabotage designed to spook investors and derail the country’s recovery.

Speaking at a development tour in Machakos, the President did not mince his words, directly addressing the sentiments echoed by former Chief Justice David Maraga and opposition leaders. He presented a bullish defense of his administration’s track record, citing the stabilization of the Kenya Shilling and the curbing of inflation as irrefutable proof that the ship of state is steady.

"The Numbers Don't Lie"

"When I took over, the dollar was chasing KES 165, and we were on the brink of default," Ruto told the cheering crowd. "Today, the shilling is firm, our debts are being paid, and the cost of living is coming down. Is that a failed state?" The President framed the opposition’s rhetoric not as legitimate criticism, but as a bitter refusal to accept the reality of an economic turnaround.

• Economic Indicators: The President highlighted that inflation has dropped to manageable single digits and that foreign exchange reserves are at a three-year high.
• The "Capture" Claim: Responding to claims of "state capture," Ruto retorted that the only thing captured was the opposition’s imagination. He challenged his critics to offer alternative policies rather than insults.
• The Warning: He warned that loose talk about state failure hurts the common mwananchi by raising the risk premium on Kenya’s international borrowing.

The Political Battleground

The "failed state" tag has become the opposition’s latest rallying cry, pointing to corruption scandals and the struggle of county governments to receive funds. However, Ruto’s strategy is to counter these qualitative attacks with quantitative data. By anchoring his defense in economic statistics, he is betting that Kenyans care more about the price of unga than the high-minded theories of political scientists.

The battle for the narrative is on. For Ruto, projecting stability is not just good politics; it is an economic imperative.