Little hope as Ruto faces a nation drained by high cost of living, taxes

President William Ruto during the 60th Mashujaa Day celebration at Kericho Green Stadium in Kericho County on October 20, 2023. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

President William Ruto will tomorrow give the annual State of the Nation address, his second since assuming office 14 months ago.

The Constitution mandates the President to issue the said address before a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate, a speech that will likely highlight Ruto’s achievements.

The Head of State would have wished to make the address under different circumstances, in happier times. High cost of living is pushing more vulnerable families to despair, as government officials warn that a respite is not in sight.

Much of mwananchi’s floundering hopes are pegged on the national dialogue committee that has seemed more preoccupied with addressing political matters and creating new positions than dealing with wananchi needs, as some would accuse them of doing.

All the while, Ruto is constantly on the move, holding as many engagements as a presidential candidate on the final leg of campaigns would, blowing millions of shillings in the process.

Had things gone according to his plan, Kenyans would not be looking towards the committee to solve the cost of living challenges wearing them down. Ruto had promised that he had a “plan” to better the lives of Kenyans “as soon as he put down the Bible,” after his inauguration.

But even in the dialogue committee, his Kenya Kwanza Alliance is seemingly reluctant to discuss the cost of living, prompting threats by the Opposition that it would thwart the process if the issue was slighted.

Allies of the President have argued that it was futile to legislate on a fluid subject such as the cost of living and have touted the government’s efforts in boosting production as the surest way of tackling rising food prices.

Ruto’s fertiliser subsidy programme is likely to feature in tomorrow’s address. From a high of Sh7,000 per 50kg bag of fertiliser, the government subsidy saw prices drop by half, with the President promising to lower it further to Sh2,500.

In all his public engagements, he has praised the subsidy programme, saying it had led to better food crop yields. However, the Kenya National Trading corporation has warned that the country still needs to import maize, beans rice and cooking oil as the country is still producing insufficient quantities. The President considers this a key achievement, despite the fact that food prices remain out of the reach of many poor households.

Ruto’s plan also included millions of jobs for the “Hustler Nation”. And he would criticise former President Uhuru Kenyatta for what he termed “punitive taxes” that he said were “hurting the economy”. Ruto’s tenure thus far has done the opposite and is bleeding jobs instead, courtesy of increased taxes.

Most of the President’s hopes to create jobs at a meaningful scale, seemingly, hinge on the affordable housing plan funded by employed Kenyans, through which he says 250,000 housing units will be constructed annually, a projection faulted by experts as unrealistic.

The nation he faces tomorrow is drained. In recent weeks, citizens have shown the president just how they feel. Last week, he was heckled in Mombasa as residents demanded that he addresses the high cost of living, shouting uongo (lies) as the Commander-in-Chief issued new promises to make life easier.

Promise after promise

“We are in the worst time since independence. I wonder what he will tell Kenyans but I know he will be full of promises. Kenyans will be fed on promises for the next five years. It will be promise after promise,” said Saboti MP Caleb Amisi.

“The Energy minister told Kenyans to expect tougher times. Imagine when the government tells you that they are unable to help you and that you are on your own. The government should not tell you to prepare for the worst. It should be preventing the worst, and that is why Kenyans gave them the power.”

Nyeri Town MP Duncan Maina believes the President has done well to stabilise the economy. “We have not gone in the direction of Malaysia, Ghana and Greece, countries that suffered because of poor economic and fiscal policies. The President took the bold step of cutting borrowing and looking inward into the economy for more resources,” said Maina.

The legislator expects Ruto to speak about his future plans and plans to roll out universal health coverage, among other issues.

“We know where we are, we need to know how he plans to have the economy improving in one year and the laws he will want Parliament to enact to rejuvenate the economy. I also expect him to address pending bills by national and county governments that are affecting others,” he said.

Ruto also criticised his predecessor for “weaponising the criminal justice system” to punish political dissidents. When he took over last year, many of the President’s allies, including Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, faced court cases, including corruption-related ones.

Most of the cases against his allies have collapsed, as Ruto faces accusations from the opposition that he has “captured” the Judiciary.

He also faces criticism for weaponising the criminal justice system, which he promised in his inauguration speech he would not do. His administration went after Uhuru and his family at the earliest chance, withdrawing officers attached to former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta.

Invaded by goons

And the police service looked the other way when businesses belonging to the Kenyatta family and Raila Odinga were invaded by goons in March. Such actions were seen to be a continuation of the government’s consistent use of its monopoly of violence to arbitrarily curtail opposition demonstrations, a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

Opposition lawmakers have also been arrested for participating in the protests, with cases against them collapsing in the wake of the Ruto-Raila truce. Some had their bodyguards withdrawn.

Perennially lamenting that Uhuru destroyed the Jubilee Party and weakened oversight with his 2018 handshake with Raila, Ruto vouched for a strong opposition.

However, the President has focused on weakening Azimio, sparking defections that have guaranteed him a firm grip on Parliament. In so doing, he is assured that his policies, however unpopular, pass unchallenged.

The Head of State has used his numbers to stifle opposition dissent and have laws, such as the controversial Finance Act, 2023, that introduced higher taxes, passed. He has also been blamed for the ongoing wrangles within Jubilee.

Raila claims that the President seeks to establish a one-party dictatorship by sponsoring coups in cash-strapped parties, whose funding the National Treasury has concluded is “unsustainable”.