Ruto’s ‘Kasongo’ Slip in Gatanga Sparks Laughter During Murang’a Tour
What started out as a pretty standard address suddenly turned into a moment that residents in Gatanga will be talking about for a long time to come.
President William Ruto had the crowd in stitches on Saturday after he let a slip of the tongue slip into his speech – one that completely broke the mood of his development tour in Murang’a County for a beat.
A Slip, Then Laughter
“Hapa Gatanga tuko na soko mara tatu na tuko na Kasongo …”
When he said that word – “Kasongo” – the whole crowd was caught off guard . For a split second, it just hung there in the air. Then, suddenly, the laughter kicked in.
The President had been rattling off details of market projects when the mistake happened. He quickly tried to correct himself, replacing “Kasongo” with the word he actually meant – “soko”. But by then the moment had taken on a life of its own and wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.
The laughter didn’t die right down – even as he tried to carry on, the crowd was still chuckling away.
Ruto just paused for a second, smiled and before you knew it, he was chuckling along with the rest. It was one of those moments where the line between leader and crowd just totally disappeared – even if it was just for a few moments.
Back to Business After the Light Moment
Before the slip-up, things were getting fairly serious. The President was talking about the ongoing problems with infrastructure out in the region – particularly those dreadful roads that residents have been complaining about for years.
“Look I want to ask the people of Gatura, doesn’t everyone get judged by the work they do? This road from Gatura to Njambini, I’ve got news for you – I’m gonna get it done; hows that sound? And all those roads you lot were talking about today – I promise you, I will get them sorted once and for all” he said.
The bit about roads was part of a big promise to follow through on all the commitments he made way back in 2021
Development Agenda Takes Centre Stage
The trip to Murang’a wasn’t just about the usual speeches – it was going to be a busy few days with lots of project launches and site visits.
Out in Gatanga, the President showed up with a couple of big gifts for the Kigoro Dairy Cooperative Society and Gatanga Highlands Dairy Cooperative – two big milk coolers, each holding 5,000 litres. Later, in Kigumo Constituency, he turned up with a massive 10,000 litre cooler for Kangari United Dairy Cooperative Society.
Ruto said these facilities are all about helping out with the milk harvesting process, boosting the value that farmers get for their milk, and putting some extra cash in their pockets.
He pointed out that 12 big milk coolers are being rolled out across Murang’a County, targeting over 3600 dairy farmers and managing a daily capacity of about 37,000 litres.
Markets, Roads and More Promises
Out in Kandara Constituency, the groundwork is being laid for the Kabati Modern Market – a new space that will be able to hold around 1,000 traders. Over in Maragua, the President popped in to take a look at the Sabasaba Modern Market, which when it’s done will fit in around 200 traders.
Getting the right roads in place also took centre stage. Ruto got the construction work for the Kangari-Gacharage road underway – and reminded everyone that his government is all about finishing off the roads that are already underway, and getting those that have stalled up and running again.
Agriculture Reforms and Export Opportunities
On the agriculture front the President pointed out that he’s been working hard to sort out the coffee trade – so that farmers are getting a fair price for their produce. It seems to be paying off, with prices going up in recent years.
And then there was the big news on export markets – Kenya has just secured access to the Chinese market, which opens up all sorts of new opportunities for getting our coffee, tea, macadamia nuts, avocados and dairy on to the shelves in China.
A Moment That Stuck
But it’s that tiny moment that really stands out to many folks – the slip when the President referred to the constiuency as Kasongo, and everyone lost it. It was just a tiny slip, but it added a bit of humanity to what was otherwise a pretty policy-heavy tour. Sometimes its the bits that we weren’t expecting that end up making the biggest impression.
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Ruto’s ‘Kasongo’ Slip in Gatanga Sparks Laughter During Murang’a Tour
