The Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, John Mbadi, has urged youth from the Nyanza region to back the government and support President William Ruto for a second term.
Speaking during the Nyanza Youth Summit at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu on Thursday, Mbadi called on young people to actively shape the country’s political discourse and align themselves with the current administration.
Mbadi openly declared his support for President Ruto’s re-election bid, using a vivid metaphor to caution against joining rival political camps.
“It is better to sleep in a bed full of bedbugs than to join forces in the forest and be mauled by lions,” he said, in reference to opposition alliances.
The Treasury CS further signalled his own presidential ambitions, urging the youth to prepare for 2032, which he said would be the appropriate time for the Luo community to seek the country’s top seat after President Ruto’s retirement.
“Shape the agenda of this discussion. Let us join the government so that in 2032, we will be ready for the presidency. I will sit on that seat,” Mbadi declared.
He questioned the political direction being taken by sections of leaders under what he termed the “Linda Mwananchi” brigade, warning that aligning with Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua and Jubilee presidential aspirant Fred Matiang’i would be a costly political miscalculation for the Luo community.
Mbadi also took issue with opposition figures, including Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino, questioning the direction in which they were leading the region’s youth.
“I have seen our children rallying behind people who are leading us nowhere. We must prepare for the top seat. For 62 years after independence, it is only now that the Luo community is holding the Finance docket. We have never produced a Speaker of the National Assembly or Senate. Only in 2024 did we get the position of Attorney General,” he said.
Mbadi argued that the Luo community has historically supported other communities’ bids for power but has often been left out of key government positions. He blamed previous regimes for what he termed as long-standing marginalisation.
On economic empowerment, the CS said youth from Nyanza have lagged behind in access to business and job opportunities, but assured them that the current administration would open doors through targeted empowerment programmes.
He challenged boda boda operators, traders and other youth groups to organise themselves and submit formal memoranda detailing their needs for consideration in government budget allocations.
“The politics of handouts is outdated. Form groups, write proposals and bring them to me so we can push for allocations. Our youth must get the same opportunities as others to build businesses and grow the economy,” he said.
Mbadi added that he remains the most senior Luo official in the current administration, sitting in high-level security meetings, including the National Security Council.
The Treasury CS said the Nyanza Youth Summit was also convened to honour the legacy of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, whom he described as a leader who consistently championed the interests of young people.
