Ruto Earns New Nickname ‘El-Chapo’ After Sh1M Chapati Promise

President William Ruto’s promise to buy a chapati-making machine for students in Nairobi and the city’s subsidised school meals initiative has triggered widespread ridicule and criticism online with critics terming it a nonpriority.

Ruto made the pledge at St. Teresa Girls Secondary School in Mathare after during his development tour of Nairobi after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja requested assistance in purchasing the machine.

The machine would be used to make chapati, which the county plans to introduce in its Dishi na Countyschool feeding program.

“Over 300,000 children benefit from the program, meaning we need a machine that can produce a million chapatis daily. I have asked the President for it,” Sakaja said.

In response, Ruto agreed, telling the excited students, “I have agreed to buy a chapati-making machine. Governor, your job now is to find where to buy it.”

However, many Kenyans dismissed the pledge as an unnecessary initiative that fails to address pressing national issues.

Critics accused Ruto of having misplaced priorities and exaggerating minor projects as major achievements.

Social media users mocked the announcement, comparing Kenya’s leadership priorities with global advancements.

Others expressed frustration over the government’s focus, with some Kenyans even dubbing Ruto “El Chapo,” a play on both the street name for chapati and the infamous Mexican drug lord.

Some questioned the viability of the project, raising logistical concerns about how a machine could produce such large quantities of chapati efficiently.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) spiraled the conversation into a meme contest, with social media users competing to outdo one another by creating memes about the chapati issue.

‘El Chapo’

Videos and images illustrating exaggerated versions of how a million chapatis would be made flooded Kenyan social media with some users faulting Sakaja for failing to prioritize solutions to the city’s flooding crisis given the onset of rains.

“It’s rainy season, and instead of working on the drainage system, they are talking about chapati. Black people with black hearts,” wrote @_James041.

Another user, Franko Tover, said, “Kenyans, with their peanut-sized brains, love excitement and drama, and politicians use this to divert people’s focus. What big thing is happening? What is getting stolen while we vibe about chapatis?”

User @TongileiM added, “I’m showing my mum all those chapati memes and [yooh] she’s so in with us cooking that El Chapo.”

Despite growing criticism from the public and religious leaders urging him to focus on implementation rather than making promises, President Ruto continues to make grand pledges—many of which remain unfulfilled long after their announcements.