Kenya Kwanza's blunders will return to haunt Ruto in 2027

President William Ruto (centre), Tourism CS Rebecca Miano (second left), Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir (second right) after receiving a cruise ship christened Norwegian Dawn which docked at the Port of Mombasa, on February 23, 2025. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

William Ruto finds himself in the situation every president has found himself in since 2003 - the midterm political fallout. Mwai Kibaki had his within the first three months of being sworn in when the Narc Summit imploded over a Memorandum of understanding. Former Vice President Moody Awori in his book Riding on a tiger says when Narc MPs went for a bonding session in Nanyuki around March 2003, hard-line stance from the Liberal Democratic Party met hard-line stance from the National Alliance of Kenya.

Failure to skillfully manage this midterm political fallout led us to watch with shame as Kibaki swore himself in for a second term under the cover of darkness while his police were gunning down the people in in the streets. Hubris and self-conceit had resulted in a series of blunders that five years later Kenyans couldn't wait to watch him vacate State House.