Editorial | The Diaspora Times

“No Jobs. No Medicine. But Grammys? Ruto’s Priorities Are Playing on the Wrong Frequency.” Kenya don’t need global partnerships to be recognized. It needs a government that recognizes its people.

In a move that defies the priorities of a suffering nation, President William Ruto has announced that one of the key objectives of his upcoming U.S. tour is to meet with organizers of the Grammy Awards, intending to establish world-class music production studios in Kenya. “We are taking Kenyan talent global,” he declared—tone-deaf and triumphant—as millions of Kenyans continue to suffer under economic hardship, a collapsing health system, and staggering youth unemployment.

This is not just a distraction—it is an insult.

At a time when Kenyatta National Hospital lacks gloves, when patients sleep on floors, when basic cancer treatment is a luxury, and when public education is on life support, the President is chasing glitter in Los Angeles. University graduates can’t find jobs, boda boda riders with degrees roam the streets, and entire families sink into depression under a mountain of taxes and despair. And yet, Ruto believes a Grammy collaboration is what will save us?

Let us not be mistaken: the creative industry is important. Kenya’s musicians, filmmakers, and artists are among Africa’s most vibrant and gifted. But the industry does not need American validation to thrive. The truth is, Kenya’s entertainment ecosystem is already rich—rooted in unique cultural rhythms, stories, and traditions that have long resonated across borders. From Benga and Genge to Afro-fusion and spoken word, our art already carries global appeal.

What it needs is not foreign partners chasing their own profits, but local policy and investment that empowers grassroots talent. Build community studios. Fund festivals. Protect copyrights. Promote our own platforms. Infuse our creative industry with cultural identity that draws tourists not to imported stages, but to the soul of Kenya.

If the President genuinely cared about the creative economy, he would start by reviving the crumbling institutions that already exist. He would prioritize the lives of Kenyan artists who are dying in poverty, not pitch them to American stakeholders while ignoring the streets where they perform for survival.

This Grammy obsession is not innovation. It is escapism. It is a political mirage painted on the backs of the hungry. Ruto is not taking Kenyan talent global; he is taking Kenya for granted.

As he boards yet another jet to sell illusions abroad, we must ask: What use is a Grammy studio in Nairobi when your local clinic has no medicine? When children sit on cracked floors to learn? When artists die before ever being heard?

We do not need global partnerships to be recognized. We need a government that recognizes its own people.