Beyond the Budget: Kenya needs an economic story, not just a fiscal one

Budget briefcase displayed. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Let’s cut to the chase. 2027 messaging might look like this. Kibaki fixed the economy by taxing it. Ruto is taxing the economy to fix it. In between, Uhuru’s debt spree altered the fiscus (public treasury) so much more than the economy that Ruto must borrow simply to keep the lights on in government.

This is an arguably incomplete economic message, but it is a seductive political one. In 2027 terms, it doesn’t matter how much development “hardware” we see if it isn’t hitting our pockets. On the other hand, our debt mountain will still be there even after we troop to polling stations.