Holiday and fanfare are over: Why South Rift revolted against Ruto
Protests over the controversial Finance Bill 2024 brought to the fore the underlying political currents in the South Rift Valley region, with residents uncharacteristically turning against President William Ruto and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
In a region that voted almost unanimously for Dr Ruto and UDA, the scenes that unfolded at the protests sent a clear message to the political class that it would not be business as usual.
The spat between the President and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua has added fuel to the political fire in Kenya Kwanza, with far-reaching implications for possible voting patterns in the next general election.
Mr Kipkemoi Barsumei, a former mayor of Bomet, said: "The holiday and fanfare for Kenya Kwanza in the Rift Valley is over. The writing is on the wall and come the next general election, the UDA party and its leaders will be the biggest casualties of an increasingly angry and bold electorate".
"The turn of events in recent months has raised serious questions about whether the President seeks and listens to advice. The claim that he is too overbearing with the people who work for him is gaining a lot of currency on the ground," Mr Barsumei said.
The remains of a building housing Geminia Insurance Company in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County, which was burnt during demonstrations by anti-finance bill protesters on Tuesday.
MPs who supported the 2024 Finance Bill were branded traitors.
Kericho and Bomet counties, seen as Dr Ruto's strongholds, erupted in protests with chants of "Zakayo shuka, Zakayo shuka" (President must climb down), shocking keen political observers in the country.
"The reality on the ground is that the same fate that befell MPs who supported the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) during the regime of former President Uhuru Kenyatta in the last general elections will also befall those who supported the Finance Bill, 2024 in the 2027 elections - they will be voted out," Mr Barsumei said.
Mr Barsumei said Kenya Kwanza and UDA were key candidates for rejection in the next general election as a result of the new political order that is taking hold.
A huge banner welcoming President William Ruto to Kericho town was pulled down by protesters on Tuesday as residents called on Parliament to reject the Finance Bill 2024.
Several wheelbarrows, the political symbol of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), were toppled from elevated platforms by protesters in Kericho amid cheers from residents in a highly significant political statement.
A new United Democratic Alliance party wheelbarrow symbol was reinstalled at Korosit roundabout in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county on June 27, 2024. This is one of the two wheelbarrows that were uprooted in the town by youths protesting against the Finance Bill.
It was a culmination of the anger with which the people expressed their displeasure with the multi-level taxation contained in the Finance Bill, which was returned to Parliament by the President following political unrest in the country.
Molo MP Kuria Kimani's house was torched in the ensuing chaos.
"This is a turning point in Kenya's political arena as people are increasingly fearless in expressing their anger at the ruling elite who have led them down after lofty but unfulfilled promises," said Peter Mutai, a trader in Kericho town.
Prominent Nairobi lawyer Donald Kipkorir wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account on 26 June 2024 that Kenya Kwanza MPs were clueless about the political realities in the country.
"Kenya Kwanza MPs were excited and giddy like kindergarten kids when they voted YES to the Finance Bill, 2024. They were high-fiving each other and laughing at the Gen Z protesters, seeing them as stupid!" Mr Kipkorir said.
"Then, when (the) President refused to assent to the bill and said it should be "deleted", the same MPs were excited and did a victory dance around the President. Never in our history has a group of MPs been as useless, clueless, corrupt and weak as our current KK MPs," Mr Kipkorir wrote.
The majority of the region's residents have repeatedly complained that they have been sidelined in development projects, with the president and his deputy only appearing at church functions and funerals, mostly on weekends.
"How many times has the President taken the time to tour the South Rift region compared to other regions whose residents did not vote for him? What are the key development pillars of his government in the South Rift? People on the ground are asking serious questions," said Ms Lilah Siele, a women leader in Bomet and political commentator.
Ms Siele said: "Whenever the President is in South Rift, he presents an image and character of a leader who knows everything, who is in a hurry to get leaders off the stage and hand over the microphone instead of listening to their problems.
"Dr Ruto has repeatedly said in public that he is the one in charge of development projects in South Rift and he should not be reminded by anyone. People are tired of this narrative and want to see tangible development. Bomet County is the worst affected, people have taken notes and their anger has boiled over," said Mr Siele.
Ms Beatrice Too, a resident said, "The boiling over of anger has been bottled up over time. It will not be business as usual".
"That residents of the region can openly revolt against Dr Ruto says a lot about the shifting political allegiances in the region," Ms Too said.
Mr Ben Siele, a lawyer from Kericho, said: "The President needs to go back to the drawing board and reconnect with the people on the ground.
"Sadly, the South Rift region - Bomet and Kericho - has no development projects to talk about under Dr Ruto's administration," Mr Siele said.
Road, water and infrastructure projects started during President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration have stalled in the region after the government starved them of funds.
Mr Wilson Sigei, a politician, said: "What many people do not know is that if members of the Kipsigis sub-tribe, which is the most populous sub-tribe of the Kaenjin Nation, raise issues and are not addressed, they will project their anger through the ballot box."
"This is a ticking time bomb as Dr Ruto has failed to deliver on all his development promises to the residents," said Mr Sigei.
