Boost prosperity and forge national unity
What you need to know:
- What the President needs to urgently do is to prioritise the expansion of economic opportunities, especially creating jobs for the many unemployed youth. It should not be about creating jobs for the big boys!
- He cannot continue to ignore the immediate needs of this angry and hungry lot, and must, apart from creating jobs, also address the rising abductions that have sparked a national outcry.
President William Ruto is keen to boost his chances of being re-elected to his second and final five-year term. It will not be easy as many voters are getting increasingly disenchanted with his leadership.
He, however, appears determined to expand his broad-based government as an insurance against possible electoral defeat. He has been mending fences with key rivals and allies he had fallen out with.
These are ODM party leader Raila Odinga, whose sponsorship as Kenya’s candidate in the African Union Commission chairperson’s election, the President is banking on for support.
He has also reconciled with his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, whose rural home he recently visited. President Ruto says he is expanding his government in pursuit of unity and prosperity. What he is not saying, but which is obvious is that he is keen to solidify his bid for re-election in 2027.
Of course, political survival is his key objective. He is just dangling carrots to enhance his hold onto power. If it was about making Kenya a great nation, then the priority would have been to boost the economy and improve the people’s well-being.
The President’s critics see his moves as meant to tame critics after the deadly Gen Z protests in June and July, which claimed nearly 60 lives and damaged property. The young people had flatly rejected the controversial Finance Bill, 2024, which contained “punitive and oppressive” tax proposals. He bowed to the pressure and ditched the Bill.
What the President needs to urgently do is to prioritise the expansion of economic opportunities, especially creating jobs for the many unemployed youth. It should not be about creating jobs for the big boys!
He cannot continue to ignore the immediate needs of this angry and hungry lot, and must, apart from creating jobs, also address the rising abductions that have sparked a national outcry.
