Revisited: Ruto's politics of identity and the magic of the hustler gospel

President William Ruto launches the Hustler Fund. [File, Standard]

The origin of the name is somewhat disputed. Who came up with the 'hustler nation'?
Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi credits himself for coining the name for the constituency President William Ruto was targeting with his campaign message.
But be it Ngunyi who came up with the name or Ruto, the United Democratic Alliance party leader took what is easily the biggest voting block and also one of the most disenfranchised in the country and turned it into a juggernaut that powered his election victory.
You know them: The person who polishes and repairs your shoes, the vendor around the corner with a cart of sausages and eggs, the boda boda operator, the mama mboga, President Ruto appealed to them with a campaign message that put them at the centre.
Ruto pushed wheelbarrows and made it known his humble beginnings as a chicken seller.
If he from Kambi Kuku Market could make it to the presidency, then with leadership that understood their struggle, every hustler would.
That was the unique selling point.

Wheelbarrow revolution
The president's launchpad was the forum he held in his Karen residence, Nairobi, where he met youth business groups gifting them tools of their trade from hand carts, shaving machines, power washers and wheelbarrows.
The wheelbarrow then became a symbol of a revolution against economic exclusion and was hoisted high in his rallies, like a crucifix would at a Christian rally.
The wheelbarrow now adorns Ruto's, Presidential Standard.