STATEHOUSE BREAKS SILENCE AS YOUTHS EXPOSE RUTO'S 'FAKE' EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed has broken his silence following allegations by a section of youth who claimed they were shortchanged during an empowerment event led by President William Ruto. The program, held at the State House on Saturday, August 9 2025, aimed to support youth groups by providing motorbikes and equipment for various income-generating projects.
In an interview with Citizen TV, a section of the youth from Embakasi alleged that despite being selected and attending the event, they never received the promised items. Dickens Odhiambo claimed he was only photographed with a motorbike and later turned away at the gate by security. He further claims that he is now receiving threatening calls and being pressured to retract his story.
Another youth, Collins Otwala, also said his group, which had proposed a media project, went home empty-handed. The two described the event as a “scam” and questioned the credibility of the process.
In response, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed dismissed the claims and accused Citizen TV, which aired the youth’s concerns, of biased reporting. “A total of 1,100 registered groups from Nairobi submitted proposals for their empowerment programmes or projects — all approved, all funded, all received. Each group had 10 members with a chairperson who delivered the projects for an orderly process. That’s 11,000 people in total. Yet Citizen TV interviews just 2 individuals… and uses them as ‘authorities’ to claim ‘unfulfilled promises’… Unbelievable!” Hussein stated.
He criticized the media house for failing to fact-check with the State House before airing the allegations and suggested the public had now seen how narratives can be twisted.
Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination, clarified that items were not handed out to individuals, but to group representatives only.
“No items were issued to individuals. The empowerment targeted 1,150 groups, each consisting of 10 people. Only the group chairmen were allowed to collect the items. That was the official process,” Itumbi said. Nairobi Senator Karen Nyamu, who had facilitated some of the groups, had also dismissed the allegations, saying the complainants do not represent the experience of thousands who benefited.
“Huyo kijana anadanganya… one or two people si watu wa kuskizwa in an event attended by more than 10,000 people,” she said. This translates to, “He is lying. You cannot listen to one or two people in an event attended by more than 10,000 people.” Meanwhile, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi had earlier acknowledged that there were some delays in item delivery, attributing them to the formalisation process for ownership documentation.