AFRICA ( commonwealth Union ) _ Protesters in Nairobi are urging the government to move as living expenses soar. Protests last week shook Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, as well as other towns. 200 or so people were detained, and at least one individual was killed. Following the August 2022 elections, which were won by William Ruto, a self-made millionaire, against Raila Odinga, a 78-year-old former prime minister and seasoned politician, the protests marked the beginning of the now twice-weekly recurring protests shaking the nation and the culmination of political infighting.
Before last year’s elections, Ruto was a close ally and deputy president to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, but he was abandoned by him when Kenyatta formed an alliance with Raila Odinga, who at the time was planning to run for the presidency for a record-breaking fifth time. Many people in Kenya consider Odinga, the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and frequently referred to as Baba (“father”) by his supporters, to be the father of democracy due to his contributions to the battle for the restoration of multiparty elections and the ensuing constitutional amendments. It appears that Odinga is determined to gain a majority on the streets after failing to earn a majority in the election.
The nation has been experiencing tension for at least a few months. Odinga challenged the election results to Kenya’s High Court a week after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Ruto the winner. A few weeks later, the High Court upheld Ruto’s win and dismissed Odinga’s appeal.
Something more important was going on in the background all the while, as Kenya’s expense of living increased as a result of long droughts, the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the country’s economy, and other factors. After Ruto took office, things got worse because he eliminated the previous president’s subsidies on important goods and food staples, a move that many saw as politically driven.
The president and his administration ignored Odinga when he first threatened widespread protests and vowed never to give in to his extortion. But as it became obvious that many individuals intended to answer his call, the government started to scale back its response. Rigathi Gachagua, Kenya’s deputy president, begged Odinga to cancel the planned protests a day in advance, claiming they would worsen the country’s already troubled economy.
Odinga, the “father” of Kenyan democracy and the deity of his tribe, the Luo, is a cult-like figure in Kenya when it comes to political influence and popular perception. Odinga commands a sizable following among many people and ethnic groups, particularly in the western regions of the country and Nairobi, where many residents also belong to his tribe. Kenyan politics is primarily organized along ethnic lines. National statistics place the Luo as the fourth-largest tribe in the nation, making up more than 10% of Kenya’s total population of approximately 50 million individuals divided among 42 ethnic groups.
Ruto’s government may not be able to endure more of these persistent attacks from his rival given the country’s current economic, social, and political circumstances, especially given the narrow margin of support by which he won the elections in August. However, the government is constrained in how much force it can use to repress the resistance because of the international community’s close watch. This is a positive development in a nation that is still working to overcome its violent post-election past and where political partisanship frequently eclipses local civic society.
