Ruto draws sharp Public Backlash over Constitution Remarks
President William Ruto has faced sharp public and online backlash over remarks made during the August 12, 2026, launch of a national conversation on Kenya’s future beyond Vision 2030. At the event at the KICC in Nairobi, Ruto contrasted Vision 2030, developed under the pre-2010 constitutional order, with the current process under the 2010 Constitution. Clips circulating widely online captured him saying something to the effect of: it is important to engage the exercise “in the context of a new constitution that does not request us to consult the people… No, it is mandatory to consult the people. Background of the remarks Supporters and some clarifications, including from accounts reviewing fuller context, argue Ruto was referring to the 2010 Constitution itself as the “new” framework that makes public participation mandatory (unlike the older order under which Vision 2030 was crafted, where consultation was more discretionary). He has repeatedly emphasized...