Protests in Kenya expose population discontent with star president

In the two years since he was elected, Kenyan President William Ruto has wowed global climate activists under the Eiffel Tower, rubbed shoulders with global tech titans in Silicon Valley and been toasted as a global peacekeeper in the White House.

However, as he made dozens of trips abroad, his country’s citizens faced harsh economic hardships.

Already hit by the cost of living crisis and seeing those in government enjoy the largesse derived from their positions, Kenyans forced Ruto to abandon plans to introduce exorbitant tax increases after days of protests.

The about-face exposed the chasm between Ruto’s image as the global voice of millionaires, not just in Kenya but across the continent, and the oppressive realities facing his nation – weighed down by public debt, corruption and security threats.

That has left him severely weakened domestically, with his administration divided in its response and his rejuvenated opponents looking to ride the wave of discontent ahead of elections in 2027, analysts and politicians said.

“Enslaved and supported by foreign interests, and never pro-people in its outlook and interests, (Ruto’s administration) was doomed to face the consequences of its priorities,” Willy Mutunga, former chief justice of Kenya, told Reuters.

“As long as the material interests of young people are not met, the gap will get bigger and bigger,” he said.

A spokesperson for Ruto did not respond to requests for comment.

Kenya – already one of Africa’s largest economies and one of its strongest democracies – has expanded its global role in recent years.

On the eve of the protests’ climax, Ruto sent 400 police officers to lead a stabilization force in Haiti.

The US has designated Kenya as a major non-NATO ally, the first in sub-Saharan Africa, which gives it access to training and equipment but does not require it to join NATO operations.

Earlier this month, Ruto spoke at the G7 summit about the need to reform the global financial system to help the poor and has emerged as a powerful advocate for Africa in calls for action on climate change.

However, with protests erupting across the country, including in Ruto’s hometown of Eldoret, and calls for his ouster growing louder, some analysts say his administration is fighting for survival.

If Ruto devotes more time and energy to addressing domestic concerns, Western powers risk losing the focus of one of their strongest allies in the battle for influence in Africa, where they seek to counter the growing power of Russia and China, they said. diplomats and analysts.

Ruto has offered dialogue to allay protesters’ fears, but it is unclear whether this will be accepted or who he will talk to.

It must also present a new plan to address Kenya’s economic challenges, likely to be a tough sell given the cuts it will have to make to meet international lenders’ conditions for future financing.

“Even if the nationwide demonstrations dissipate, this civil disobedience is a generation-defining moment,” said Declan Galvin, managing director of Nairobi-based consultancy Exigent Risk Advisory.

“The next elections are still several years away, but Ruto clearly needs to change his political stance to respond to public needs for his own political survival.”

‘Shameless arrogance’

Ruto’s earned a reputation for a fierce work ethic, but has struggled to free himself from an International Criminal Court indictment for his role in post-election violence in 2007-8, even after the court dismissed the case.

Gabrielle Lynch, a Kenya expert at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, said Ruto was “an incredible performer,” able to present facts and figures to donors and then adapt his body language and tone for a local rally later that day.

“It’s as if presenting himself as a world leader helps legitimize him at home and remove the label of parochial instigator of violence,” Lynch said.

Underscoring the scale of his world travel, Ruto has made a total of 62 trips to 38 countries in his first 20 months in power, according to a tally by Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper.

But when he returned home, Ruto appeared deaf to complaints about the direction the country was taking, according to two sources in regular contact with his office.

Having campaigned as a champion of low-income “rogues”, Ruto’s opponents have since given him the nickname “Zakayo”, the Swahili name for a greedy tax collector in the Bible.

As the protests grew, videos of politicians flaunting their wealth circulated widely. The homes and businesses of lawmakers who supported tax increases were targeted.

Mutula Kilonzo Jr, an opposition member and governor of Makueni County, said the “shameless arrogance” of government officials had fuelled the discontent.

Anger was also directed at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), seen as the drivers of Ruto’s fiscal policies. Since reducing tax increases, Ruto now has to find another way to make his country’s debt of around US$80 billion, around 70% of GDP, more manageable.

Iron fist, velvet glove

Kenya’s relationship with the United States has deepened under Ruto’s presidency, but critics complain that mutual admiration has clouded Washington’s view of Kenya’s challenges.

US support has been crucial in the fight against Islamist militants in Somalia, and in May Ruto enjoyed the first state visit by an African leader to the US in more than 15 years.

Ruto is seen as close to Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay and HP who is currently the US ambassador to Kenya, and the relationship has helped attract foreign investors, especially US-based technology companies, Nairobi-based diplomats say.

Boniface Mwangi, a prominent Kenyan social activist, said diplomatic statements of concern and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling Ruto after the violence were “too little too late” and that Washington must now take a tougher line.

A US State Department spokesperson said the embassy in Nairobi has consistently called for restraint and respect for constitutional rights.

Mwangi said he advised the US embassy last week to leverage its influence with the president to urge him to engage protesters as the movement grew.

“People had to die for them to say anything,” he said. “They bought into all this sparkle and charming personality. They don’t see the iron behind the velvet glove.”