{"id":3113,"date":"2026-05-19T09:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/?p=3113"},"modified":"2026-05-19T09:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:15:01","slug":"we-wont-allow-tribalism-uda-sec-general-warns-matatu-owners-amid-fuel-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/we-wont-allow-tribalism-uda-sec-general-warns-matatu-owners-amid-fuel-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"“We won’t Allow Tribalism’ UDA Sec General Warns Matatu Owners Amid Fuel Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has declared that President William Ruto will serve two full terms in office, drawing parallels with former President Daniel arap Moi, who defied predictions of being a mere \u201cpassing cloud.<\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In a video statement shared widely on social media, Omar addressed critics chanting \u201cone term\u201d (\u201cwantam\u201d) for Ruto. \u201cMliita Moi \u2018passing cloud\u2019. Ruto akichukua mnaanza kusema wantam. Kama vile Moi was not a \u2018passing cloud\u2019, neither is Ruto going to be there for one term. He will serve his two terms,\u201d Omar said. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The remarks come as Kenya grapples with severe economic pain. A nationwide matatu and truckers\u2019 strike, now in its second day, has paralysed transport across major towns including Nairobi, Kitengela, and Kisii. Commuters have been forced to walk long distances, schools have closed in several areas, and businesses have ground to a halt. Protests over fuel price hikes have turned deadly, with at least four people killed and others injured in clashes with police.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Diesel prices have soared to around KSh 232\u2013243 per litre in Nairobi, driven by global oil market disruptions linked to the Iran conflict. Operators say the costs are unsustainable, squeezing margins and raising the price of goods.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Public reaction to Omar\u2019s statement has been largely hostile. Many Kenyans on social media accused the UDA official of being out of touch, prioritising political chest-thumping over urgent cost-of-living concerns. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Critics argue that drawing historical parallels with the Moi era ignores today\u2019s informed and frustrated younger generation demanding better economic management ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/span><\/span><\/span>Omar\u2019s comments appear aimed at rallying UDA loyalists and countering opposition momentum. However, they have highlighted deep divisions. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While some view Ruto\u2019s administration as committed to long-term transformation, opponents see the focus on future terms as deflection from immediate hardships like high fuel, food, and transport costs.<\/span><\/span><\/span>Moi famously served from 1978 to 2002, outlasting early doubts about his leadership. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether Ruto can similarly consolidate power remains to be seen in Kenya\u2019s evolving political landscape. As the strike continues and protests simmer, the government faces mounting pressure to address the fuel crisis before political rhetoric further inflames public discontent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has declared that President William Ruto will serve two full terms in office, drawing parallels with former President Daniel arap Moi, who defied predictions of being a mere \u201cpassing cloud.\u201d In a video statement shared widely on social media, Omar addressed critics chanting \u201cone term\u201d (\u201cwantam\u201d) for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,274],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-prime"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stateupdate.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-19-120439.jpg?fit=432%2C388&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc68Dd-Od","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3113"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3116,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3113\/revisions\/3116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateupdate.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}