NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 6 – President William Ruto has launched the memoir of Retired Major Marsden Madoka titled ‘At The Ready’, at State House, Nairobi.
President Ruto described Madoka as a man who truly lived up to the title of his memoir saying his life should inspire Kenyans to be patriotic.
He said Mr Madoka demonstrated patriotism through consistent service to our country and to the people.
“He has always been ready to serve, ready to lead, and ready to sacrifice for his country and his people,” he said.
Marsden Madoka is a distinguished public servant who served as the Aide-de-Camp to Kenya’s founding President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Internal Security and Provincial Administration, and MP, among others.
“In every role he held, his guiding principle was the same: to serve the nation with honour, diligence, and humility,” he said.
He called on Kenyans in politics, business, and civil society to turn to the book: At The Ready as both a historical document and a guidebook for principled leadership.
He said the book is more than a recounting of personal experiences, “it is a reflection of Kenya’s journey, seen through the eyes of one who stood at the heart of its making,” he said.
At the same time, President Ruto said that youth are justified in calling for greater action and bold steps towards Kenya’s progress.
He said for far too long the country has operated on the average and has not exploited its full potential, noting that the country had made peace with mediocrity.
The President said he will always take positively those who push him to do more and raise the ambitions of the country to be above average.
“The restlessness and impatience of the young person of Kenya is because for far too long we have operated around the average. They are not entirely wrong. That is why we need to up our game,” he said.
The government, he said, is focused on implementing deliberate programmes to broaden opportunities for the youth.
The President said the government is currently conducting a nationwide sensitisation programme for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) to support youth entrepreneurship through funding and mentorship.
“Working with the World Bank we have raised Sh5 billion to give 100,000 young people in Kenya money to scale up their businesses,” he said.
The NYOTA programme, he explained, complements other government programmes such as the construction of the Affordable Housing Programme, markets and hostels, labour mobility, and the digital jobs programme targeting youth empowerment.
President Ruto said Kenya is a third-world country because of the mistakes of leaders.
The President said there is no reason why Kenya remains a third-world country when countries like Singapore, which were at the same level as Kenya, are now first-world countries.
South Korea, he added, is an agricultural country like Kenya, with an economy like Kenya, that has managed to grow to have a GDP per capita 20 times that of Kenya.
He called on leaders to do the right things that will enable Kenya to grow.
“The difference between us and them is leadership. It’s not money or resources, just leadership,” he said.
The President said the government is building 230,000 classrooms and will have hired 100,000 teachers by January next year to support free primary education and the 100 percent transition policy.
Mr Madoka reminded public servants to serve diligently to improve the country.
He cautioned them not to use their positions to pursue personal interests at the expense of the country.
“Let us all work towards improving this country of ours. I believe it is a great country and there is a lot to be done.”
He called on Kenyans to support the President towards the attainment of the country’s transformation.
Former Busia Senator Amos Wako and long-term Attorney General lauded President Ruto for making State House a true place of the people.
Mr Wako said the story of Kenya should be told through such memoirs that give a first-hand account from those at the front lines.
