Githunguri Member of Parliament (MP) Gathoni Wamuchomba has hit out at President William Ruto over his recent pledge to provide Nairobi schoolchildren with a chapati-making machine.
The legislator labelled the president’s promise as a populist move rather than a genuine policy commitment.
In an interview with a local media station on Thursday, March 20, 2025, Wamuchomba criticized Ruto for abandoning his issue-based manifesto and instead opting for political stunts meant to excite the public without clear implementation plans.
“I think we have a president who is a populist, and unfortunately his populism politics. We knew him to be a president who had a manifesto that was issue-based.
“We have abandoned the issue-based manifesto. He has become a populist, and all he is doing is promising popular projects that he knows very well he cannot implement,” Wamuchomba stated.
The vocal lawmaker questioned the feasibility of Ruto’s chapati pledge, citing existing challenges in government operations.
“If my President cannot feed the military for lunch, what capacity does he have to feed the children of Nairobi? If he cannot feed his own military and he is the Commander-in-Chief, how do we trust him with feeding schoolchildren?” she posed.
Selective development
Wamuchomba further accused Ruto of selective development, questioning why similar programs were not being extended to other regions of the country.
“Now that you are going to give Nairobi children chapati, what about the children of Githunguri? Are they not Kenyans who pay taxes like those in Nairobi?” she asked.
According to Wamuchomba, Ruto has shifted from tribal-based politics to regionalism, using targeted policies to appeal to specific voting blocs.
“The president has just become a regionalist politician. He is trying to appeal to certain regions politically,” she claimed.
Wa Muchomba also noted that Ruto had shifted from his earlier political narrative, abandoning his “hustler versus dynasty” campaign theme and instead resorting to regional favouritism.
“He crumbled tribalism, but he has just realized his class system of ‘the hustlers versus the dynasties’ has not helped him politically. So to run away from that mess, he is trying to bring something called regionalism,” Wa Muchomba said.
Wa Muchomba urged Kenyans to scrutinize the President’s promises, arguing that they should focus on economic empowerment rather than temporary political gimmicks.
“The president needs to be called out on what he’s become, a very simplistic person. He has abandoned his manifesto. He used to talk about ‘pesa mfukoni’ (money in people’s pockets). Give me the money; I will pay for my child’s chapati, ” she stated.
Previous criticism
Wa Muchomba’s comments echo those of Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who also criticized Ruto’s pledge, accusing him of using it as a political gimmick rather than addressing the country’s pressing economic issues.
Speaking on Saturday, March 15, 2025, Kalonzo argued that while the concept of eating chapati may seem appealing, it does little to alleviate the struggles of ordinary Kenyans.
The former Vice President challenged Ruto to transform his chapati narrative into tangible economic empowerment by awarding contracts to small-scale traders to supply the meal to schools and institutions.
“The state of the nation is actually a mess. Now, the only probably little good thing is the chapati, but you know even William is corrupt in chapati,” Kalonzo stated.
“It’s basically a good idea to eat chapati, but why don’t you give Mama Mbogas in Kangemi, in Utawala, and in Mathare a contract to make those chapatis and supply them to Toi Primary School and to other places?” he posed.
Ruto’s Chapati promise
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, President Ruto promised to buy a chapati-making machine to boost Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s Dishi na County school feeding program.
His pledge came after pupils at St. Teresa Primary School in Mathare requested chapati be added to their menu.
Addressing the students, Ruto promised to ensure the school feeding program received the chapati-making machine once he was informed where to purchase it.
“The governor has asked that we add chapati in the Dishi ya Nairobi initiative. I have agreed to purchase the machine; it is now the work of the governor to locate a shop we can purchase them from so that we can be able to make one million chapatis,” Ruto said amid cheers from the pupils.
