With Raila in his corner, Ruto can breathe easy but Gen Zs stand firm

 

President William Ruto with Engineer Philip Gichuki Chief Executive Officer Tana Water Works Development Agency during the commissioning of Kibung'a Kakimiki Project in Marimanti, Tharaka Nithi County. [PCS]

He is back like he never left. And he loves it. President William Ruto had, undoubtedly, missed car sunroofs and campaign podiums.

Emboldened by his new partnership with opposition leader Raila Odinga, the President has resumed his campaign-like activities that were put on hold by the nationwide youth protests.

Bringing the opposition on board was meant to buy him breathing space after the unrelenting Gen Z and Millennial assault. Ruto is not waiting to establish if it has eased as evidenced by his immediate exploration of the “ground”.

He started on Thursday in Tharaka Nithi County where he praised his re-appointed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.

That evening in Mombasa, he had nice words for his Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet nominee Hassan Joho, the former governor of Mombasa, once a fierce rival.

Ruto is on a four-day whistle-stop tour of the Coast where he is inspecting the progress of government projects.

He spent Friday in Mombasa and Kilifi counties. He toured Kwale yesterday and will be in Taita Taveta and back in Mombasa today. The Head of State will wrap up his Coast trip in Tana River tomorrow.

His visit is also political. Of course. Since he was elected in 2022, Ruto has spent most of his time hopping to different corners of the country, when not globe-trotting. 

But for the past one month, the President has been holed up in State House, where he watched, almost helplessly, as youth-led protests sent his government to its knees. Facing widespread hostility, domestic and foreign travel has been untenable.

Before he sealed the deal with Raila, Ruto rarely set out of State House. His engagements were mostly low-key church attendance functions and he rarely addressed public gatherings.

His union with Raila emboldened him enough to resume his travels as it did help him make the bold but unpopular move to re-appoint Cabinet Secretaries he had sacked, some of whom had angered the public with blatant display of opulence.

And the evident concession, ceding key Cabinet slots to the opposition, no longer seems like so, given the political benefits he is poised to reap by roping in the ODM leader. In the former prime minister’s strongholds, news of the appointment of his allies has been received with a lot of excitement. 

In Mombasa, Homa Bay, Kakamega and Siaya counties, many have celebrated the nomination of former governors Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya and MPs Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja) and John Mbadi (Nominated).

But even he knows that he cannot rest easy, given Raila’s apparent reluctance to enter into a coalition with the ruling UDA.

“We had anticipated the crafting of clear terms of engagement based on issues we raised in our various communiques,” said Raila.

Through its Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, ODM had earlier said the four Cabinet nominees had joined Ruto without the “party’s blessings or support”.

And while many of Raila’s allies seem pleased by the Cabinet slots, there has also been dissent.

Siaya Governor James Orengo has opposed ODM’s crossover into Ruto’s administration without any binding formal agreement, warning that it would result in a one-party dictatorship.

“Let’s stand firm on the principles that we have always fought for. I fully support the Gen Z in their quest for a better Kenya. It would be absolute treachery and an act of political cannibalism to ignore the cry of our youth at this critical time,” he posted on X.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s allies from Mt Kenya have previously been cagey about a coalition with Raila, with such sentiments likely to come to the surface eventually. It might help that Gachagua seems happy with Ruto’s choices, having accompanied him when he announced the second batch of Cabinet nominees on Wednesday.

Gachagua’s opponents have also endorsed Ruto’s truce with Raila, as stated last week by Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri.

“It is not Ruto who has looked for Raila. It is us, as Mt Kenya people, who have looked for Raila,” said Kiunjuri.

Perhaps Ruto’s greatest headache is the unrelenting youths watching his every move. Protesters have already lined up a fresh round of protests, with one dubbed “Nane-Nane march” slated for August 8.

The youth are unhappy with the reinstatement of some CSs. Parliament’s rejection of budget cuts to the offices of the First and Second Ladies has also angered the youth.

University lecturer Timothy Onduru argues that while the truce may buy Ruto some peace, it is still too early to say whether he should breathe easy. 

“A lot of things could happen in between,” said Dr Onduru, who teaches history at Moi University.

Onduru says the President is also facing a tougher balancing act now that he has roped in the opposition.

“He will have to try to deliver his agenda as well as ODM’s given they are in some sort of coalition,” he added.

Leadership and management professor Gitile Naituli says Raila will not help Ruto much.

“This is not the Raila of yesteryear. He has zero control of the opposition, which is in the hands of the Gen Zs. As long as Ruto doesn’t have the Gen Zs he will never rest,” said Prof Naituli.