Walk the talk, Uhuru challenges leaders : The Standard

President Uhuru Kenyatta led Kenyans in the annual National Prayer Breakfast yesterday, challenging leaders to stop rhetoric and instead translate their talks into actions. 

Uhuru took barely five minutes to deliver his message, saying the leaders have for long been talking about the challenges facing the country and making suggestions about what needs to be done, but do nothing.
He said if the leaders did little of talking and concentrated on actions, Kenya would be transformed in less than five years.
“We can sing from the rooftop but what our people want of us is to practise what we say,” he said in uncharacteristic brief speech. 

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Uhuru also challenged his South Sudan counterpart Salva Kiir who attended the prayers to get the leaders in his country into cultivating peace, promising that Kenya would help the troubled nation to stabilise.
Mr Kiir had taken time to speak about the challenges and political instability facing his country as leaders struggle for power, saying he had initiated National Dialogue which he claimed was bearing fruit.
Deputy President William Ruto urged Kenyans to help fight corruption, and called for investigators to be given enough support to fight the scourge.
“Theft and corruption is bad in any language,” Ruto said.
It was an event that was characterised by some light moments.

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The guest speaker, Lord Dr Michael Hastings from the United Kingdom, caused prolonged laughter as he spoke of the political turbulence in his country that has forced Prime Minister Theresa May to quit.
He said the UK had a vacancy and sarcastically asked if Kenya had a spare Prime Minister who could take up the position.
And when he stood to speak, Ruto caused much laughter when he said that Kenya could donate former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to take up the position. 
“It is good to us that you made a request for a Prime Minister. We have a retired one and since the Constitution has abolished the position of Prime Minister here, we can send you his CV,” said Ruto.
He added: “In any case, we have had people from the UK govern us, it may be a good opportunity for us to pay back”.

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Raila was conspicuously missing from the prayers that were also attended by former vice presidents Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi.
Ruto, while recognising the two figures, made a joke on Mudavadi, saying Kenyans keep forgetting that he was once a vice president, although for a short stint of two months.
Uhuru also made a joke on Dr Hastings request for a PM from Kenya.
“I know you have been given one offer, that is only one, but I have a couple more to donate to you, at least for about three years,” he said. 
There were also some light moments when the co-chair of the event West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio narrated how he was confused with a South Sudan national when he attended a function in Juba.

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He said when locals were asked to give up their seats for the visitors and he remained seated, one of the ushers came to him and said, “you are one of the people who do not obey announcements”.
Uhuru made a joke of it, making a thinly veiled reference to Poghisio and Kiir’s dark complexion, saying the senator was justified to ask for dual citizenship.
The Parliament Fellowship Choir, under the leadership of Nyaribari Chache MP Richard Tongi, was once again on the spot due to their wanting show. 
Ruto, however, came to their defence, saying their show was much improved than last year’s, while Speaker Justin Muturi promised that more will be done to improve the choir.

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President Uhuru KenyattaKenyansNational Prayer BreakfastRaila Odinga