Ruto urges young men to marry for love. Nandi wedding speech resonated across the lush tea fields of Nandi County on Saturday, as President William Ruto, attending the vibrant traditional union of Senator Allan Chesang and Chanelle Kittony, delivered a heartfelt call for commitment, slamming the trend of carefree dating and child-free lifestyles while tying family bonds to Kenya’s path to stability.
The ceremony drew over 1,000 guests to the groom’s family homestead, where drummers pounded rhythms that echoed Ruto’s rhythmic rhetoric.
Chesang, 45 and a first-term lawmaker known for his push on youth empowerment bills, exchanged vows with Kittony, a 38-year-old entrepreneur from a prominent Nandi business clan, in a ritual blending dowry negotiations with modern vows.
Ruto, arriving in a convoy flanked by UDA brass, took the mic post-feast, his tie loosened against the afternoon warmth. “Many young men want to enjoy stuff but don’t want responsibility,” he boomed, his gaze sweeping the crowd of elders in beaded regalia and youth in sharp suits.
“If you’re man enough, marry the woman you love. Start a family. Strong families form the foundation of a stable nation.”
His words, laced with biblical nods to Genesis and proverbs on legacy, zeroed in on a cultural shift he sees as Kenya’s Achilles heel.
“Child-free unions? Dating without purpose? That’s not our way,” Ruto pressed, drawing cheers from aunties fanning themselves with palm leaves.
He painted marriage as an economic anchor too, linking it to curbing urban vices like crime and unrest. “A home with children teaches discipline and builds wealth. We’ve got enough bachelors chasing shadows; time to plant roots.”
The president, father to six and grandfather now, wove in personal anecdotes of his own early marriage struggles, turning the speech into a fireside chat amid the scent of roasted goat and nyama choma.
Reactions on social media ignited like dry savanna grass. Supporters, from Nandi’s tea pickers to Nairobi’s middle-class dads, flooded timelines with praise. “Ruto speaks truth! Marriage is maturity, not a trap,” tweeted a Nandi local.
Another one quipped, “Marry, love? When hospital meds run dry and taxes bite harder? Fix the economy first, then the altar.”
The divide mirrors Kenya’s zeitgeist, where Ruto’s hustler gospel clashes with Gen Z’s gig economy gripes. Since his 2022 win, the president has leaned into family values, from anti-abortion stances to school feeding pledges, but economic headwinds like fuel hikes and maize shortages have soured the script.
At the wedding, though, harmony reigned: Chesang and Kittony danced their first as man and wife to a live benga band, Ruto joining in a rare jig that softened his statesman edges.
“This union inspires us all,” he toasted, clinking glasses with the couple’s beaming parents.