The Standard Newspaper Says Ruto Is Chasing Political Ghosts While the House Is on Fire

The Standard has accused President William Ruto of misplacing his priorities, saying he is chasing political ghosts while the country faces mounting economic and social problems.

On its Wednesday, October 14, 2026 front page, headlined Misplaced Anger, the paper uses a fire metaphor. It says that when a house is burning, a wise man puts out the flames instead of chasing fleeing rats, and it suggests the president has lost sight of what matters most to Kenyans.

The paper lists the problems it says should be getting the government’s attention. These include an economy on its knees, paralysed universities, families struggling to put food on the table, failing crops and debt choking both citizens and the government.

Instead, The Standard says, the Head of State has made former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna his favourite punching bags. It describes his tirades as increasingly angry and laced with insults.

The paper then asks a pointed question: is Ruto confronting Kenya’s problems, or manufacturing bogeymen to distract voters from his own record? The story is tagged Authoritarian and continues on pages 8 and 9.

The front page comes as the paper’s Kivumbi 2027 countdown shows 300 days to the General Election, with political temperatures rising.

Ruto has stepped up his attacks on opponents during his tours of different regions, including a recent rebuke of Kenyatta in the North Rift.

Kenyatta and Sifuna are among the leaders who have criticised his government as the opposition works to settle on a joint candidate.

The Standard’s framing is likely to spark debate. Government allies may argue that the president is entitled to respond to his critics and defend his record, while opposition leaders will see the report as backing their claim that the government is out of touch.

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