Tough balancing act awaits William Ruto on lofty pledges and State jobs

"Dr Ruto's election is on the promise of revamping the economy with a special interest in agriculture and revamping of small and medium enterprises under the bottom-up economic model. There is a plan and he has all figured it out through consultations with voters," said ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.

Mudavadi argues that Ruto administration will uplift farmers and business people, create jobs and bring back hope for those who had given up. He says Ruto's government will be owned by Kenyans and will have the common mwananchi at the heart of its operations.

"He is an energetic, well-schooled team player who is capable of building a group that he can lead very effectively. He is also a go-getter who is focused," says political analysts Amukoa Anangwe. Leaders, he says, bring their own personal style, demeanor, and gravitas into the office which then dictates how they perform.

Analysts, therefore, argue that Kenyans should not judge Ruto using the same lens they viewed other presidents because Ruto is Ruto and not any other president. They point out the virtues and attributes he has displayed while serving as minister and as deputy president.

That is the drive that will underpin his tenure to be a successful leader unless there is a fallout among key principles as happened between him and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wa said Ruto's government will be people-centered. "It will bring an end to state capture where the government stopped serving the people and worked for a selected few. They will then be given the freedom to exploit their full potentials like in the late President Mwai Kibaki's government," said Ichung'wa.

He said those who will serve in the Ruto government will be competent and skilled people who will exhibit passion and determination to serve.

Pro-poor

And so if Ruto lives to his promises, Kenya will be led by a pro-people, pro-poor, pro-marginalised leader whose interest will be on the bulk of the population.

Being a hands-on person, he is expected to lead a fast-paced government operating mostly in the field where projects will be launched and inspected.

"He will push his team players to perform because the leadership will be results-oriented," says analyst Martin Andati.

The pressure to perform will also be driven by the expectations that have been aroused with respect to the pledges he made when seeking votes. That is why he will fight to excel as president based on the agenda he has already articulated.

"He has the cost of living, the national debt burden, the high cost of fuel, among other challenges to deal with and also manage the expectations of his followers," says lawyer Stanslus Barasa.

He will have to tread carefully to be as fair as possible when distributing the so-called national cake as power-sharing is described in Kenya. That will expert juggling of positions to satisfy communities that contributed to the vote basket and those that voted for his rivals.

The challenge for the President will be how to hold a retinue of his close allies who will be angling for the government pie. Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, former Tharaka Nithi senator Kithure Kindiki, former governors Alfred Mutua (Machakos) and Turkana's Josphat Nanok who was the chief campaign manager, and former Gatundu South Moses Kuria are among those who have high hopes to be in government.

Other loyalists like outgoing Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala and Hassan Omar who unsuccessfully sought the Mombasa governorship will be expecting to be rewarded. Many could get disappointed because of the limited positions available. Ruto's loyalists from the Mt Kenya region, such as will be expecting rewards.

Agriculture is another area that dominated Ruto's campaign agenda. He promised to reduce the cost of agricultural production by cutting the price of fertilizer from Sh6,000 to Sh2,500. That's what the country expects him to do in the next few months. The incoming President is also expected to deal with the big four agenda started by the Jubilee administration.

Gender parity

On appointments, Ruto is likely to appoint women into key positions. "In Cabinet, women may get 10 seats while men will most likely have 12 plus the Attorney General," says Andati who adds that the President will need to balance new people with his old friends.

Andati thinks, "there will be quite a bit of murmuring", especially in areas that delivered more votes like Rift Valley, Mt Kenya, and parts of western.

It will be interesting to see if any of the current Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries will be retained together with ambassadors and High Commissioners.

Having complained that he was isolated after the 2018 handshake between Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga, it will be interesting to see how he will handle his critics.

Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu, however, said they expect Ruto to immediately implement the Hustler Fund, employ all the trained and jobless teachers and reduce the cost of living.

"He made promises to Kenyans. We will hold him to account based on his promises including unveiling the cash for mama mboga and youths in the first 100 days. We also expect him to deal with the cost of living, including the reduction of the price of unga," said Mulu.

Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi said though it was too early to say, the telltale signs had indicated that Ruto could roll back the democratic gains, saying the clamour to poach leaders from the Opposition was worrying.

"My take could be misleading but, if we are not careful we could easily slide into one party state with the way Ruto has started. It should worry every Kenyan across the political divide. The initial indicators are worrying and unless Kenyans remain vigilant we could be back to the dark days," said Wandayi.

On the economy, the Ugunja MP said inspite of the lofty promises, the test of the pudding is in the eating.

Narc Kenya leaders Martha Karua, who was Raila's running mate, said the continued defection of members of Azimio to Kenya Kwanza Alliance could be injurious to democracy.

"This is a deliberate and sustained offensive to decimate the opposition and return the country to a defacto one party state," she said on Twitter.