Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label William Ruto

How the Historic Saba Saba rally reincarnates Raila's spirit to battle Ruto

  Raila Odinga's quest to liberate Kenyans from authoritarianism remain unstoppable. History of the Saba Saba event in Kenya The original Saba Saba rally was organized by Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia and Raila Odinga. However, the three didn't make it to the Kamukunji venue. The first Saba Saba rally in Kenya took place on 07/07/1990. The aim of the event was to bludgeon the then president Daniel Arap Moi to repeal section 2(A) of the Constitution in paving way for multiparty democracy. Political players Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, Raila Odinga, lawyers John Khaminwa and Gitobu Imanyara were arrested by the police. Kiraitu Murungi who was on a trip to Ethiopia, chose to cut-off his journey back to Kenya and fled to the United Kingdom. Lawyer Mohammed Ibrahim, currently a judge of the Supreme Court, was arrested by the Special Branch officers after they failed to find the then Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Paul Muite at his office. Senior Counsel Gibson K

How Ruto's Government was Cornered by the Previous Regime

President William Ruto is in a dilemma. Having been elected on the platform of uplifting the 'hustlers', there's no single move to substantiate his initial argument. Opposition boss Raila Odinga has every reason to capitalize on Ruto's tax appetite. The ODM Party Leader alongside his Azimio brigade, mobilized Kenyans to resist the new tax measures.  Raila read a riot act and asked his supporters to embrace walking to work places to deny the government the hyped fuel tax.  Did Uhuru Kenyatta leave an empty coffer? When Ruto took office in September 2022, his deputy Rigathi Gachagua confided that the government was almost broke. Kenya Kwanza leaders complained that during Uhuru's twilight days as president, his close allies looted from treasury to puncture operations of an incoming government. Uhuru's last months in office saw the increase in prices of essential commodities, which gave Ruto a leeway to convince Kenyans that it was as a result of Ra

Constitutional bitter pill that maul Kenya presidency

  2010 constitution drastically curtailed presidential powers limiting the Head of State in making appointments anchored by the supreme laws of the land. Mwai Kibaki was the last Kenya's powerful president who never suffered the wrath of judicial decisions. Ruto's major setback President William Ruto suffered a major setback when the High Court quashed his Cabinet Assistant Secretaries (CASs) appointments on Monday. The 3 judge bench termed the appointment of 50 CASs as unconstitutional, for there was no public participation for the 27 extra appointees.  Ruto had appointed his allies, including those who had been rejected by Kenyan voters in the 2022 general elections. Azimio leaders, led by Raila Odinga and a host of ODM mandarins, applauded the Court's verdict and urged the president to respect judicial decisions. The decision to overturn Ruto's appointments come days after the same court stopped the implementation of the Finance Act 2023 . The contentious Finance Ac

Why William Ruto is after Uhuru's Property

Ke nya President William Ruto is on a vengeful mission, using State Power to wrestle his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and attempting to crush the opposition. Recent scenario in which thousands of people stormed Uhuru's Northlands farm in Ruiru,without police alert, is something that speaks volume. The government was fully aware of the raid and might have had a secret hand in it. Opposition leaders led by Raila Odinga castigated the act.  The attack occured days after National Assembly Majority Leader, who doubles as Kikuyu MP, Kimani Ichungwah sent retaliation signals to the street protests organized by the opposition. Ichungwah had stated that if the protests would lead to stealing and vandalism of people's properties, then their supporters might also be prompted to destroy properties of key opposition leaders and their alleged funder, Uhuru Kenyatta. The Kenyatta family owns vast land in diverse parts of Kenya.  Just after the Northlands farm attack, the maasai community in Na

Why Raila Odinga wants to topple Ruto's government

  ODM leader Raila Odinga has intensified his call for the reopening of IEBC servers for public scrutiny to identify who really won the 2022 Kenya Presidential election. Raila has called for mass protest over increased cost of living, while advancing his own political agenda. The increased cost of living has given Raila impetus in his renewed assault against the government which, in his own view, lost in 2022 elections. Will Raila manage to oust Ruto? President William Ruto is yet to unleash any physical confrontation of State machinery against his political nemesis, despite heightened pressure to lessen the tax burden from the previous pupulace. Kenya's appetite for foreign debt is still high. The government totally erred when it attributed that the current inflationary rate is occasioned to the fluctuating global oil prices. Russian incursion on Ukraine had also pinned as a contributing factor to increased prices of essential commodities. The scion of Jaramogi underpins the re

How Raila Odinga plans to overthrow Ruto

  Many Kenyans wonder why President William Ruto hasn't sent security forces to thwart Raila's rallies. ODM leader Raila Odinga is arguably Kenya's last strong man that's still standing and daring the Kenyan bulls by their horns. Political underdogs in both camps have made a name by either praising or ridiculing him, depending on which region you are based. Raila has dared four Kenya's presidents in a row. History have it that he almost dethroned Daniel Arap Moi through military in 1982. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta succumbed to the 'handshake deal' to lessen Raila's impact on economic sabotage, that would have cost the country's GDP. The doyen of opposition politics has a massive following and is most feared by Kenya government.  Deployment of security forces to preclude his political operations might amount to human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings. President Ruto fears going the Hague route again, as most of Raila's supporte

Good news to Kenyans as Hustler Fund Loan gets global recognition

  President William Ruto started the Hustler Fund loan to support the vulnerable in the society. Since it's inception, millions of Kenyans have already benefitted from the government funded program. However, recently there was a backlash over a magical number of loan defaulters. "WORLD BANK TO SUPPORT HUSTLER FUND The World Bank has pledged to support the Hustler Fund to lift Kenya’s most vulnerable group," State House report on the official Twitter account read.  The report further stated: "The promise was made during a consultative meeting between President William Ruto and World Bank Regional Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Victoria Kwakwa at State House Nairobi. https://t.co/IgZFjGatma " How to access the Hustler Fund Loan  Dial *254# then ok. If not registered, you will be prompted to enter your mPesa Pin to complete the registration process. If registered select, loan request.  Benefits of Hustler Fund Loan No collateral required for loan p

Tax debate rages on, as Ruto issues ultimatum

  President William Ruto has reiterated that all Kenyans have to pay taxes, regardless of status. In a renewed attack on the Kenyatta family, Ruto was categorical that the tax bracket will no longer be discriminatory. Ruto was addressing Church adherents in Nairobi on Sunday. The President was accompanied by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah, Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja among other political leaders. "I am happy that as a country we have all agreed and built a consensus that irrespective of status, there’ll be no wavering of taxes for anyone... so that we can save our country from debt," Ruto stated. Why the tax debate is healthy for Kenya Ruto's sentiment was echoed by his long-term ally, Senior Counsel Ahmednassir Abdullahi.  "The tax debate is health & I'm most grateful to Mama Ngina Kenyatta for giving the way forward.But why are we avoiding the more germane question:what is the source of this vast w

Kenya decides: Will it be Raila Odinga or William Ruto?

  Kenya is set to undergo a democratic process in which Kenyans will have a chance to vote in leaders of their choice. The country has experienced a vicious electioneering period, characterized with harsh exchanges, sometimes leading to physical confrontation among antagonizing camps. The heat of the election moment will be felt ahead of the announcement of a new president. Opposition leader Raila Amollo Odinga is expected to face a fierce contest with Deputy President William Samoei Ruto . The two top presidential contenders have not left anything to chance. Raila is making his fifth presidential stab, while Ruto will be on his first attempt. If history was to repeat itself, Raila Odinga has the highest chance of being elected to replace President Uhuru Kenyatta. Former President Mwai Kibaki and his successor Uhuru Kenyatta failed on their first attempts. Basing on the same precedence, it's expected that Ruto will not make it to presidency. However, this fact is hypothetical a

Why Kenya’s 2022 Presidential Elections will be determined in First Round

Kenya will hold a General Election on August 09 th 2022. Top Presidential contenders include Deputy President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga. Just like the previous two elections, there will be no run-off as there’s no other third person with nationwide support other than Ruto and Raila. Opposition Leader Raila Odinga has a long history of contesting for presidency and this will be his fifth stab for the top job. Deputy President William Ruto will be vying for presidency for the first time and is likely to give the doyen of opposition politics a run for his money. DP Ruto enjoys massive support from the underprivileged courtesy of his ‘Hustler’ narrative, which resonates well with the lower echelon. Ruto will vie on a UDA ticket.  The second in command has upset the status quo by snatching President Uhuru Kenyatta his support base due to the latter’s dalliance with Raila. Selling Raila in Central Kenya has been a herculean task and has significantly reduced Uhuru’s influence

Raila, Ruto dilemma ahead of Kenya’s 2022 General Elections

D eputy President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga stare at a possible predicament as they seek to expand their coalition lattices in order to accommodate new players. The entry of ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford Kenya colleague Moses Wetangula into Ruto’s camp has compounded things on the DP’s initial camp. Recently, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua spilled everything and told new entrants to forget about the running mate position. According to Gachagua, the Deputy President slot is a preserve of Mt Kenya. This argument is reinforced basing on the numerical strength of supporters being brought onboard.  Mt Kenya region is among the top vote-rich zone in Kenya. The region has produced three presidents of Kenya – Jomo Kenyatta (Kiambu), Mwai Kibaki (Nyeri) and Uhuru Kenyatta (Kiambu). Owing to their proximity to power, leaders from the region want to remain a heartbeat away from presidency after the retirement of President Uhuru Kenyatta.  Raila Odinga is most likely