Christians across the world are celebrating Easter.

This is one of the most significant days in the Christian calendar. It honours the resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christian churches, Easter is the joyful conclusion to the Lenten season of devoted prayer, fasting, and penitence.

This is when Christians glorify and give thanks for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After his crucifixion, death, and burial, Christ rose from the grave days later. By this, according to Christians, he conquered death and redeemed believers from sin.

Many Kenyans attend church services, prayer vigils, and processions to honour this sacred moment. In his Easter message, President William Ruto asked Kenyans to embrace unity, uphold peace, and take time for reflection during this holy season.

“May your heart be filled with peace as you reflect on the love and sacrifice of Christ this Easter,” Ruto said.

He emphasised the importance of togetherness and spiritual renewal, encouraging citizens to draw strength from the message of hope that Easter brings.

However, many Kenyans have no reason to cheer. Available data shows that consumers are spending less due to high living costs attributable to President Ruto’s misguided economic policies.

Many families scaled down their spending and travel plans while hotels did not record the usual bookings. Kenyans are reeling under the weight of heavy taxes and unemployment. The working class bear the brunt of pay deductions to fund President Ruto’s highly criticised development projects such us affordable housing and experimental social protection programmes.

Kenyans also celebrate Easter at a time crusaders for good governance have sounded the alarm over rampant human rights violations, economic despair, and systemic repression.

“This is a state of national despair. We are witnessing a regime that is systematically dismantling democratic governance and civic freedoms,” said rights groups last week.

Citizens are dying in hospitals, university students are unable to pay for their education, and the youth face police crackdowns for merely expressing dissent. The healthcare and education sectors are failing, state violence intensified as the Ruto administration abandoned the rule of law. Disappearances, abductions, and violent arrests have become normalised.

These events have cast a dark cloud over this Easter.