Hard decisions Ruto must make to win back Kenyans' confidence

President William Ruto inspects a guard of honour before the 2nd UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 27, 2027. [PCS]

The current political environment is not exactly the same as one the one that prevailed between 2021 and 2022 when William Ruto, a man of unrelenting energy and populist imagination, shook the pillars of Kenya’s political foundation. While ‘hustler nation’ had everyone talking and bottom-up economics offering some hope, the current environment is flat, depressed, and veering to the vitriolic.

Dr Ruto has to change, fast. The warning signs are there: The spruced-up, unified opposition and the hot air emanating from social media. These signals should be enough to convince even the most sceptical that the honeymoon is over and the honeymooners are getting restless.