Why Ruto should be worried of growing hostility

Crowd hostility and public anger over the high cost of living signal rising political tensions ahead of the 2027 elections.[File, Standard]

A wave of anti-government hostility is sweeping across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections, as public frustration over the government’s policies and a high cost of living turns into defiance against leaders.

Two separate incidents in Ol Kalou and Nairobi and in the past one week are a pointer to the boiling anger against the government and its supporters.

The ruling UDA party allied leaders have been met with hostile reception, and that signifies a fractured relationship between the government and the electorate, with just under 14 months to the next general elections.

Fueled by the high cost of living, unfulfilled promises and high taxation, the angry confrontation of UDA leaders also brings to the fore the ugly reality that it will be a herculean task for the current administration to win over the electorate in time to secure President Ruto a second term in office.

The revolt, especially in the Mt Kenya region which has historically been a political fortress of the Kenya Kwanza administration, also speaks to the reality of shifting political ground.

The depth of the political resentment against the Kenya Kwanza administration was laid bare in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua county on Friday, where an angry crowd disrupted a meeting convened by Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, Women Rep Faith Gitau and UDA’s candidate in the forthcoming by-election Samuel Muchina, forcing them to flee for safety under heavy security.

The meeting which had been called for the distribution of electricity polls in a bid to connect more than 110 households to the national power grid under the last mile connectivity programme turned chaotic, after the gathered crowd started throwing chairs at the PS and the other UDA leaders as they chanted “Ruto One-term” slogans.

According to area residents, the crowd erupted after the leaders started highlighting President Ruto’s achievements and propagating calls for his re-election to serve a second term.

“People are not stupid, they know that these projects being launched, and the timing of it, are meant to hoodwink the public in a bid to try and persuade the area residents to vote for the UDA candidate in the forthcoming by-elections,” said Kenneth Njuguna.

“Unfortunately, the leaders in government are a hard sell in this region,” he added.

The incident coincided with another where Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura was heavily heckled and booed by Kenyatta University students. Mwaura had been invited for the event held at the Kenya University amphitheater and was expected to give a speech.

His speech was however cut short by the hostile students who were shouting “Ruto must go” forcing the event organizers to beef up heavy security and escort him off the stage.

Political pundits now argue that the wave of hostility has been triggered by the government’s shortcomings, unfulfilled promises and the high cost of living which have ushered in a poor quality of life for Kenyans.

Political communication expert, Hesbon Owilla says the three incidents highlighted

a government that is not in touch with reality and the problems Kenyans are going through at the moment.

“They (Kenya Kwanza) got votes from Mt Kenya and Rift Valley which are their core support bases but they are not addressing the promises they made to these people. That brings in a sense of disenfranchisement because people expected much more but they are getting lip service,” says Owila.

“The main reason we have the growing hostility is unfulfilled promises coupled with high cost of living and the fact that the quality-of-life people are experiencing is a lot harder than before this regime came to power,” he further observes.

He argues that the resentment is highly manifested in President Ruto’s Rift Valley turf and the Mt Kenya region, which voted for him almost to a man in the 2022 elections, because they had the highest expectations for the government to deliver on its promises.

“Because of the failures of the incumbent government, all Kenyans are affected but the effects start to manifest with those who believed in them the most. Across the country, the Kenya Kwanza government seems to losing votes in its core bases because that is where expectations to deliver were highest,” avers Owilla.

 He however cautioned Kenyans against entertaining the culture of political intolerance. Kenyans should learn to listen to leaders and make their judgement based on what has been delivered come 2027.”

Professor of history and governance Macharia Munene attributes the wave of hostility to the bad imagery created by the government and the biting economic pressures.

“The incidents are the public’s reaction to the government's bad governance and wastage of resources that has led to a high cost of living. For instance, the image that President Ruto is creating is that there is money to hire private multi-million and luxurious jets but there lacks money to do the basics such as stock hospitals with drugs. Kenyans are annoyed and they are reacting to what they see as a tone-deaf administration through hostility,” says Prof Macharia.