The High Cost of A Nation Obsessed With Money: How Uhuru And Ruto Led Kenya To Moral And Social Ruin

There is an old African proverb that says, When the rhythm of the drum changes, the dance must follow. But what happens when the drummers are thieves, and the dance is corruption? When a nation is told that money is the only metric of success, that morality is for the weak, and that crime—so long as it is profitable—is not only acceptable but admirable? The result is the Kenya of today: a hollowed-out shell of a society where ethics have been auctioned off to the highest bidder, where integrity is for fools, and where leadership is measured not by service but by wealth. At the heart of this moral decay stand two men—Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto—who transformed Kenya into a grand casino of greed, where the only rule was that those in power must never lose.

A country does not wake up one morning and find its soul missing. No, the process is gradual. It starts with small concessions—looking the other way when a politician grabs land, justifying a leader’s wealth because ‘at least he helps his people.’ Before long, theft becomes normal, bribery becomes expected, and honesty becomes a relic of the past. Uhuru and Ruto did not just steal money; they stole the very essence of what it meant to be Kenyan. They taught a generation that money—not honor, not service, not community—was the highest ideal.

Under Uhuru’s leadership, Kenya became a country where the size of one’s bank account determined their innocence. The corrupt were not just protected; they were celebrated. Thieves did not go to prison; they went to Parliament. Looters did not face justice; they were promoted. The Judiciary, once a pillar of fairness, became an auction house where justice was sold to the highest bidder. Ruto, the understudy in this tragic play, took notes carefully, ensuring that his turn at the throne would be marked by an even greater disregard for ethics.

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What happens when money becomes the only measure of success? Society collapses. When wealth—not merit—determines who gets ahead, people stop working hard. When corruption—not innovation—is the fastest way to riches, entrepreneurship dies. When bribery—not competence—secures jobs, mediocrity thrives. Kenyans were forced into a toxic race where the goal was not to serve but to steal. The economy, once driven by productivity, was overrun by cartels. Why build when you can loot? Why invest when you can con? Why work when you can steal?

Kenya became a country where wealth was no longer proof of success but evidence of crime. Hard work became a fool’s errand. Honest men were laughed at. Parents stopped telling their children to study hard and instead told them to ‘know people.’ Graduates did not dream of creating jobs; they dreamt of securing tenders. Every sector—health, education, and agriculture—became a feeding trough for connected elites. Doctors could not treat without bribes, teachers could not teach without kickbacks, and farmers could not farm without middlemen siphoning their profits.

The social fabric of Kenya was ripped apart. Trust—a fundamental pillar of any society—was shattered. Why trust your neighbor when you know he would sell you out for a quick bribe? Why trust the police when they only serve those who pay? Why trust elections when votes are bought like goods in a marketplace? The very essence of community, that sacred bond that holds a nation together, was eroded. Kenyans learned to fend for themselves, not because they wanted to, but because their leaders had shown them that self-interest was the only currency that mattered.

Virtues like honesty, hard work, and service have withered, replaced by vices such as greed, dishonesty, and ruthless self-interest. Where once we admired integrity, we now glorify deceit. Where we once sought fairness, we now embrace favoritism. The leaders have shown that lying, stealing, and betrayal are not just paths to success but requirements for it.

It is no surprise that crime skyrocketed. If those at the top can steal billions without consequence, why should the poor not steal to survive? Petty crime exploded, not because Kenyans are inherently bad people, but because the leaders had set the example. Gangs replaced governments. Cartels replaced institutions. The rule of law became a joke. When theft is legitimized, even glorified, society descends into chaos.

Religion, once a moral compass, was hijacked by the very thieves who had destroyed the nation. Pastors blessed stolen wealth, bishops became mouthpieces for the corrupt, and churches became money-laundering centers. The gospel of prosperity replaced the gospel of righteousness. The message was clear: wealth—no matter how it was obtained—was evidence of divine favor. God became a business partner, faith became a transaction, and salvation became something that could be bought.

The youth, once the hope of the nation, were the greatest casualties. They grew up in a country where merit meant nothing, where opportunities…

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