Turbulent times for Ruto as he faces plethora of challenges

President William Ruto during the Presidential Roundtable at State House, Nairobi on June 30, 2024. [PCS, Standard]

In the last week, President William Ruto’s voice has faltered as he addresses Kenyans, oscillating from a mixture of deep feelings of rage, empathy, hurt, and reflection.

With a more emboldened Gen Z population across the country making a huge list of demands, an agitated stronghold, rebellion from his Deputy, a possible shrink in the tax collections, and condemnation of the return of police excesses, President Ruto faces a litmus test in his 22-month-old presidency.

Today, thousands of Gen Z have vowed to stage a sit-in across the country in their unrelenting calls for radical changes in Ruto’s government -a buildup of an uprising that has covered most of the 47 counties. Some of the older generation though not joining the youth are calling out the government for the return of abduction and extrajudicial killings ‘as witnessed in the recent police killings’ of the peaceful demonstrators.

The agitation comes at a time when there are allegations that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been leading a rebellion of a minority of MPs from Kenya Kwanza that are increasingly speaking at a cross purpose with that of the President.

On Thursday, the DP, in a clear breach of protocol, addressed a press conference two hours after the President, where he hit National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Nordin Haji for failing in his duty of briefing the Head of State of the looming protests.

Gachagua used the opportunity to subtly exonerate himself from allegations that he had a hand in funding some of the demonstrators together with former leaders.

The DP himself has come under sharp criticism from his juniors in the cabinet who have questioned his allegiance to the President, the Kenya Kwanza alliance’s tenets, and the national unity.

With all the agitation, the edgy DP, and the discord in his cabinet, President Ruto is in a catch-22 at a time that is supposed to have a closer team to help him balance the budget and find out how to have cuts to placate the hole of Sh346 billion caused by the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024/2025.

The current imbroglio puts President Ruto who was elected in August 2022 with the high hopes of turning better the tides of the poor Kenyans.

During the Presser where he rejected the Finance Bill, President Ruto noted that he will be forced to scale down on development projects and also cut down some programmes. This would happen when the President heads into the half-time of his presidency when he should be accelerating his manifesto to implementation that would inform the voters’ 2027 campaign scorecard.

Every President in Kenya has had their moments of reckoning, this could be  Ruto’s moment where he is faced with a tough balancing act.

President Ruto is now between a rock and a hard place, navigating between cutting down development versus actualizing his manifesto, throwing his allies in government under the bus to appease Gen Z versus building a formidable allegiance ahead of his reelection three years away.

Whichever way the President takes in this fight, it will define his presidency in the next three years. 

Political analyst Javas Bigambo noted that the President’s choices were very stark and whichever decision he made, he must have casualties that were either his allies or himself.

“What is urgent for now is for President Ruto to reconstitute his government and refresh a dynamic team of advisors. Sadly, the President does not have the liberty of time,” said Bigambo.

He said that public perception and support were everything in governance without which you cannot achieve much.

“President Ruto is working hard to protect officers in his government who are doing nothing much to protect him; for instance, during the two weeks of demonstrations, it is only three Cabinet Secretaries Mudavadi, Duale and Kindiki who have come out to talk, the rest are hibernating in a banker waiting for the President to cool things up for them to come out,” said Bigambo.

Baringo Women Representative Florence Jematia said things were tough for the President, but there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“The President, the journey is tough but we will enjoy the fruits. Let's believe,” said Jematia.