President William Ruto, Stop Persecuting Kenyans.

By Victor Patience Oyuko 

Mr. President, Kenyans are tired. Tired of your government’s calculated oppression, tired of human rights abuses, tired of the abductions, and tired of your administration’s blatant disregard for the dignity of ordinary citizens. The brutal arrest and humiliation of Grace Njoki Mulei is not just another statistic of police brutality; it is a searing indictment of your leadership and a grim reflection of where this nation is headed under your rule.

Grace Mulei, a 61-year-old retired nurse, should be enjoying her retirement in peace, having dedicated her life to serving Kenyans. Instead, she was dragged across the floor of Ladnan Hospital like a criminal in broad daylight, arrested for exercising her democratic right to protest. Her “crime”? Speaking up about the glaring failures of the Social Health Authority (SHA) system that replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)—a system whose inefficiencies have left countless Kenyans stranded and dying in hospitals. After this shocking display of state violence, she was held at Capitol Hill Police Station and later released on a Ksh. 10,000 cash bail, without ever being arraigned in court. Is this the Kenya you promised us during your campaign trail?

CCTV footage of Grace Mulei’s arrest shows the kind of state violence that Kenyans only read about in history books, describing the dark days of the Moi dictatorship. She was manhandled, dragged like a sack of potatoes, and bundled into a car by people believed to be police officers. Let me remind you, Mr. President, that access to healthcare is a fundamental human right. Detaining someone for demanding that right is not only unconstitutional but a moral abomination.

Where is your voice, Mr. President? Where is the leadership you so fervently promised? You rose to power on the mantra of a “Hustler Nation,” claiming to be a defender of the common mwananchi. Yet, your silence on this matter is deafening. Grace Mulei’s ordeal is not an isolated incident—it is emblematic of a larger, more sinister pattern of human rights violations under your watch.

What about the abductions, Mr. President? What about the growing list of Kenyans who have disappeared without a trace? Families are left in anguish, searching for their loved ones, while your government remains unbothered. We have not forgotten the horrors of people abducted by rogue state agents, only for their mutilated bodies to be found days later in thickets or rivers. Kenyans are tired of crying over loved ones who vanish into thin air because they dared to question the government or speak out against its injustices.

Mr. President, this culture of fear and oppression must end. You have a constitutional obligation to protect the lives and freedoms of all Kenyans, not just the political elite who dine with you in State House. We elected you to serve, not to silence. We trusted you to lead, not to preside over a regime that resorts to force and intimidation as tools of governance.

You cannot continue turning a blind eye to police brutality, abductions, and human rights abuses and expect Kenyans to sit idly by. We are not the docile citizens of yesteryears. We are awake, we are watching, and we will hold you accountable. It is no longer enough to issue half-hearted statements and platitudes during press briefings. We demand action.

Your administration has become the face of impunity. When police officers are allowed to brutalize civilians without repercussions, when activists disappear without a trace, and when retired nurses like Grace Mulei are harassed for demanding better healthcare, it is you, Mr. President, who must bear the blame. The buck stops with you.

Kenyans are tired of living in fear. Tired of a government that prioritizes optics over substance. Tired of leadership that is more concerned with silencing dissent than addressing the real issues plaguing this nation—poverty, unemployment, skyrocketing food prices, and a broken healthcare system.

You must realize that power is fleeting, Mr. President. The same Kenyans you suppress today will rise tomorrow, and history will judge you harshly for standing on the wrong side of justice. Remember that even Moi, with all his might and machinery, could not suppress the will of the people forever.

The persecution of Grace Mulei must not go unanswered. Her arrest, humiliation, and detention are stains on your presidency that no amount of rhetoric can wash away. Apologize to her publicly, and hold accountable those responsible for this shameful act. Anything less is unacceptable.

And while you’re at it, address the abductions, investigate the countless cases of police brutality, and show us that you are capable of the leadership you so boldly promised. Failure to do so will only cement your legacy as yet another Kenyan leader who trampled on the very people who entrusted him with power.

Kenyans are watching, Mr. President. We are tired, but we are not defeated. We will continue to speak out against injustice, to demand accountability, and to fight for the Kenya we deserve. This is not just about Grace Mulei; this is about all of us. Enough is enough.

The ball is in your court, Mr. President. Will you listen to the cries of your people, or will you continue down this path of oppression and impunity? The choice is yours, but the consequences are ours to bear—for now. 

Article by Victor Patience Oyuko.