Since June last year, Kenya has witnessed an extraordinary wave of public outrage – an uprising that has not only shaken the political establishment but also sent a clear, unmistakable message to President William Ruto: something is deeply broken.

From the widespread rejection of the 2025 Finance Bill to the mass protests and tragic loss of lives, it is no longer tenable to dismiss the unrest as mere agitation or politically instigated discontent.

What we are seeing is not an isolated expression of dissatisfaction – it is a collective roar of a citizenry that feels ignored, burdened, and betrayed by the President and a bunch of his conformists, moving around the country displaying opulence amidst extreme poverty.

Ruto must look in the mirror and ask himself the hard question: “Why have so many Kenyans turned against my leadership so quickly and so fiercely?”

Ruto campaigned as a “hustler president”, vowing to champion the interests of the common mwananchi, and promising to lower the cost of living, create employment, reduce public debt, and uplift small businesses.

Instead, what followed was a regime of aggressive taxation, bloated government spending, and a lifestyle at the top that seems tone-deaf to the struggles of everyday Kenyans.

The 2024 Finance Bill 2024 became the spark that lit the fire, but the tinder had long been piling up – an economy squeezing the poor, a government perceived as extravagant and unaccountable, and a political elite increasingly out of touch.

Leadership requires more than economic plans or parliamentary majorities. It demands listening, empathy, humility, and above all, accountability.

The level of anger now directed at Ruto’s administration did not emerge in a vacuum. It is the result of perceived arrogance, poor communication, and failure to translate lofty rhetoric into tangible relief, an aphorism that has earned him nicknames such as Zakayo and Kasongo.

Turning a blind eye to the level of discontent in his government while believing that his bromance with Raila Odinga through the so-called broad-based government is foolhardy.

History is replete with leaders who fell not because they lacked ideas, but because they refused to listen. Ruto still has time to change course, but only if he has the courage to examine himself.