President William Ruto's recent speech at the Africa Climate Summit, held at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), has sparked a viral frenzy in Kenya, with the slogan "mambo ni matatu" taking center stage online and even on items such as T-shirts.
In his riveting message, President Ruto urged for global solid action and restructuring the international financial architecture.
He highlighted the high interest rates on development funding, which he described as a critical impediment to African nations' progress and long-term growth.
"When I was first elected as a member of Parliament in a rural constituency in Kenya, I represented a community that is so proud of itself that they believe it is a bad thing that they are risk-averse and very debt-averse."
Did you read this?
In his indigenous tongue, he used a local adage, "Kaikai kobarin panan kosir kobarin pesen," which means "Better to be killed by poverty than by debt."
President Ruto emphasized three critical components in African countries' access to financing: timeliness, scale, and affordability.
He discussed the difficulties in collecting considerable resources, the need for specialized skills, and the significance of affordability in achieving equal growth.
"As they say in Kenya, mambo ni matatu," stated President Ruto.
"First and foremost, speed. It takes an extraordinary amount of time to access any useful materials. Second, it necessitates talent because we've all agreed that massive resources are required, and third, affordability so that we both pay the same."
.jpeg)
The President's rallying cry moved Kenyans for a new global financial architecture, but his reference to the viral phrase "mambo ni matatu" captivated the nation.
Last week, President Ruto issued a solid warning to sugar industry "cartels" using the phrase for the first time.
He proclaimed that these people faced three possible outcomes: abandoning the nation, incarceration, or even death, which he colloquially referred to as "mambo ni matatu" (it all comes down to three).
President Ruto's mention of this viral phrase elicited many online comments, including the production of amusing memes.
Some enterprising Kenyans even took advantage of the phrase's popularity by printing it on T-shirts.
One business owner in the United States has already begun selling "Mambo ni matatu" t-shirts for $22 (Ksh 3210), demonstrating Kenyans' capacity to turn viral moments into marketable items quickly.
The word has become a comical online craze and tapped into the Kenyan spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship, where even a clever phrase can become an opportunity for individuals to express themselves and generate a profit.
