Why William Ruto is out of his depth as he fumbles the presidency

President William Ruto addresses residents after officially opening the Suswa Fresh Produce Market during the Narok County tour, on May 6, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] President William Ruto was either ill-prepared for office or failed to grasp the enormous responsibilities and challenges of the esteemed position he now holds, according to critics. Nairobi politician Philip Kisia referenced a viral 2022 campaign video in which Ruto questioned why fuel in landlocked Uganda was cheaper than in Kenya, despite passing through the country. "We are being given escapist explanations without basis. Cartels and monopolies have captured our fuel and economic sectors," Ruto said at the time. Kisia noted that, while Ruto's concerns then appeared valid and made sense, the situation has since worsened. Fuel prices are now three percent higher than in Uganda and six percent higher than in Ethiopia, while monopolies and corruption remain entrenched. He criticised how the Kenya Kwanza administration gambled with programmes like the now-abandoned government-to-government oil procurement plan. Some individuals even claimed to be importing oil for the government. In November 2023, businesswoman Anne Njeri Njoroge claimed she had been defrauded of a Sh17 billion oil shipment she had imported on the government's behalf. Worse situation "Are we still having the cartels and monopolies? Three years on, why haven't the cartels been dismantled? What happened to your promise to lower prices through the government to government imports arrangement? What about the promise that fuel will sell at Sh100 per litre. Ruto owes former President Uhuru Kenyatta an apology. We're worse off now," Kisia stated. For over three decades, protests and demonstrations have been part of Kenya's civic fabric. Now, critics say dissent is criminalised and punished through extrajudicial means. Ruto, who pledged to end extrajudicial killings before his election, appears unprepared for the consequences of State repression. Kisia referenced another post-Saba Saba clip featuring Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who warned against using firearms on civilians: "I watched those boys firing randomly bwoom, bwoom, bwoom. Usionyese bunduki kwa wananchi, onyesha kwa adui (Don't point a gun at civilians, direct it at the enemy). Even if it is about crowd control, your gun should always be behind your shoulders," said Museveni. Prof Peter Kagwanja of the Africa Policy Institute also faulted Ruto for surrounding himself with inept allies, arguing that positions of responsibility were filled based on loyalty, not competence. He blamed the choice of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei to serve in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both not career diplomats, for Kenya's deteriorating relations with Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. "All those countries enjoyed cordial relations with Kenya before President Ruto took office, but taking sides with groups like Sudan's Rapid Defence Forces under the leadership of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo alias Hemedti and leaders supporting the M23 rebels in Congo was a mistake," he argued. He added, "If you make Prof Kagwanja the head of surgery department at Kenyatta National Hospital, it will be a disaster because I cannot be one. Even if you make me the head of surgeons, I will be having a big title, walking the streets of Nairobi with good salary and driving a big car but doing zero work," says Kagwanja. He added that Kenya's absence from the 2023 BRICS Summit in South Africa cost the country a valuable diplomatic ally. "We don't even know the meetings to attend. In 2023, we failed to attend the BRICS meeting and lost a major friend. We got wrong advice and failed to join a group of countries that have 50 per cent of world population, control 35 per cent of the global economy and 60 per cent global energy," says Kawanja. Political analyst Prof Gitile Naituli echoed the sentiment that Ruto was unprepared for leadership. He also singles out cabinet appointment as one of the grey areas noting that Ruto should have known leadership means working through others. Lack of plan "He appointed the most incompetent cabinet in Kenya's history. It appears he clearly didn't expect to win the election, hence the lack of preparednessand," says Naituli. He believes Ruto squandered immense goodwill. "Besides Mwai Kibaki in 2002, Ruto is the only president elected on merit rather than tribal alliances," said Naituli. From his assessment, it appears Ruto administration lacked a clear plan of running the government unlike president Kibaki who introduced free primary education in the first week upon taking office. Naituli termed the current so-called empowerment programmes a waste of public resources. "He should adhere strictly to Parliament's budgetary allocations, cut government spending, lower energy costs, and rationalise taxes if he expects to be given another term," he advised. Last year, Ruto pledged to reduce public spending and avoid pushing the country further into debt. He also promised to end corruption and impunity. "It is going to be difficult but I don't see an option. We just have to make those choices. I have instructed the Ministry of Finance to work with all other ministries and cut Sh300 billion from this budget. It is not a simple assignment. It is not an easy thing to do but I promise you we will do it because it is the right thing to do," said Ruto in what turned out to be yet another empty promise. He also promised to delay some of the many projects that had been initiated: "We will have to postpone some of them. We will have to relook at some of the interventions. I have seen a report that we have slowed down on trips abroad and many other things to remove the fat from our budget." Fast forward to 2025, Ruto now defends the expansion of his agenda, rebuffing critics who accuse him of over-promising. "Yes I made promises. Yes, I took on many challenges that had bogged down our nation for far too long. This wasn't a mistake. It was deliberate and intentional to match our leadership with our national ambition. When we aim for excellence, the bar must be higher," said Ruto last week. He added that while critics may label him wrong, a liar, or even mad, his plans are neither experimental nor misguided. Prof Naituli countered that Ruto's tendency to be defensive is his biggest weakness in leadership. Biggest weakness "Good leaders take feedback-quietly absorb it or ignore it if it's unhelpful. Always defending yourself signals failure. Have you ever heard Safaricom saying Mpesa is working? If it is working people will see it, feel it and touch the outcome," said Naituli. Prof Kagwanja advised that Ruto should invest in few targeted projects that will be his legacy, like dualing the Limuru - Eldoret- Malaba highway, finishing the Naivasha - Malava Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project project. "That's enough to unlock the economy. He doesn't need to build houses and everything else. Kibaki only built Thika Superhighway and a few other roads and unclogged the economy," said Kagwanja. Thirdway Alliance party leader Dr Ekuru Aukot argued that the regime's unpopularity stems from repeated lies. He said it is increasingly difficult for Ruto to prove he's delivering, given rising deductions on payslips through affordable housing project and Social Health Authority and failing to solve unemployment crisis. Still, the President insists that his critics and political opponents should persuade him that they have a better plan. If they do that and defeat him in the next elections, he says he is ready to go home to do farming to improve food security in the country.

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