These have been testing times for citizens of the world. Hot on the heels of an unprecedented pandemic has been the Russia-Ukraine war which has curtailed, if not outrightly upended, supply chains of commodities crucial for everyday existence. Kenya, like many nations, has been caught up in the resultant crises.

Fluctuating global oil prices, the effects of drought and an onerous public debt burden have placed an inordinately high demand for the US dollar leading to a huge depreciation of the country's local currency. This has had broad ramifications for the country which depends on imports for some of its needs.

It is against this backdrop that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga now stages what he promises to be bi-weekly protests. He purports to want the government to be more answerable to the insuperable economic hardships currently being experienced. He presents a litany of public challenges and demands instant resolution to intractable problems. He then gives an ultimatum to the government; his way or the highway for those in authority.