By Cege Wa Mahiga
Two and a half years into President William Ruto’s tenure, Kenya stands at a crossroads. Elected on September 13, 2022, with a razor-thin 50.49% victory, Ruto rode a wave of populist promises—vowing to uplift the “hustler” class, tame the cost of living, and root out corruption. Yet, as of March 12, 2025, his administration faces a barrage of criticism, with many Kenyans and observers branding it as having “zero credibility.” This accusation, while hyperbolic, resonates deeply amid soaring debt, policy flip-flops, and a youth-led uprising that has exposed a chasm between the government and its people. Through economic data, governance missteps, and the unfiltered pulse of social media, this article explores whether Ruto’s Kenya truly stands on the precipice of a credibility collapse—or if glimmers of hope remain beneath the storm.
The Economic Tightrope: Promises vs. Reality
Ruto inherited an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and a ballooning public debt, which reached $80 billion by 2024—equivalent to 66% of Kenya’s GDP. His administration has leaned heavily on this legacy to explain its struggles, but the numbers tell a more complex story. In 2024, 61% of tax revenue went toward debt servicing, a figure Ruto himself cited in a June address to justify the now-infamous Finance Bill. That bill, aiming to raise $2.68 billion through new taxes, sparked nationwide protests and was ultimately scrapped, forcing a pivot to austerity measures. Critics argue this sequence—proposing taxes, retracting them under pressure, then slashing budgets—epitomizes fiscal mismanagement, eroding trust in Ruto’s economic stewardship.
The cost of living, a cornerstone of Ruto’s campaign, remains a raw nerve. He pledged to slash maize flour prices to KSh 100 per 2-kilogram packet, yet by 2023, prices hovered between KSh 180 and KSh 230. Even as inflation fell to a 17-year low of 2.7% in December 2024—a point Ruto trumpeted in his Jamhuri Day speech—the relief hasn’t trickled down to the average Kenyan. “The market doesn’t lie,” tweeted @SinyeiBrian on March 10, 2025. “60% of us earn peanuts while they celebrate GDP.” Persistent poverty (39.8% in 2022, per KNBS) and stark inequality—where the top 0.1% own more wealth than the bottom 99.9%—undercut claims of a “Bottom-Up” revolution.
Job creation, another Ruto rallying cry, offers a mixed picture. The government touts 200,000 jobs from the Affordable Housing Program and 243,000 international placements since 2022. Yet, youth unemployment—estimated at 67% in urban areas by the Economics Observatory in 2024—looms as a crisis. For a leader who branded himself the “hustler-in-chief,” the disconnect between rhetoric and reality has fueled disillusionment. “We voted for jobs, not excuses,” posted @Kimuzi_ on February 27, 2025, echoing a sentiment that Ruto’s economic promises ring hollow.
Policy U-Turns and Scandals: A Credibility Quagmire
Ruto’s administration has stumbled through a series of policy reversals and controversies that amplify the “zero credibility” charge. Take fuel subsidies: in 2022, Ruto axed them, decrying their unsustainability, only to reinstate them in August 2023 after protests erupted. Senator Ledama Olekina quipped that Ruto was “eating his own words,” a flip-flop that left many questioning his resolve. Similarly, the 2023 fertilizer scandal—where farmers received substandard products under a flagship subsidy program—ignited outrage. “Farmers in tears, conned by their own government,” reported Africa Check in 2024, as lawsuits piled up and trust evaporated.
The 1.5% housing levy, rolled out in 2023 despite 70% public opposition (per polls cited by Africa Check), further painted Ruto as tone-deaf. Intended to fund affordable housing, it instead became a symbol of a government prioritizing pet projects over public will. “They tax us to death while we can’t eat,” tweeted @milliciachris on March 9, 2025, linking the levy to broader grievances about over-taxation and joblessness.
Governance missteps compound these woes. Ruto’s 2019 label as Kenya’s “most corrupt politician” (from a poll cited by Le Monde) dogs his presidency, with 2024 seeing little progress on anti-corruption pledges. The abductions of government critics that year—initially dismissed as “fake news” before Ruto vowed action—deepened distrust. Kenya’s Catholic bishops, in a November 2024 statement, lamented a “culture of lies” among leaders, a critique that landed squarely on Ruto’s doorstep. The October 2024 impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, convicted on charges like self-enrichment but acquitted of corruption, underscored accountability challenges. “If the deputy can’t be nailed for graft, who can?” asked @Tsitati_George on March 7, 2025, reflecting public cynicism.
The People Speak: Protests, Polls, and X
Public trust in Ruto has plummeted, a trend captured in polls, protests, and the digital echo chamber of X. An Infotrak survey in August 2023 gave Ruto a middling “C” grade, but by September, a TIFA poll found 70% of Kenyans felt the country was “heading in the wrong direction,” citing unmet economic promises. The 2024 anti-tax protests, which claimed over 30 lives and saw parliament stormed, marked a turning point. Ruto’s July 2024 cabinet purge and Finance Bill withdrawal were concessions, but for many, they were too late. “Ruto must go” chants persisted, amplified by a tech-savvy Gen Z movement that leveraged social media to mobilize against tax hikes, corruption, and systemic rot.
X posts from 2023 to 2025 trace this arc of disillusionment:
- 2023 Optimism: “@Belive_Kinuthia (July 30, 2023): They call him a failure already, but they’re wrong—he’s just starting.” Early defenders clung to hope.
- 2024-2025 Despair:
- “@mwabilimwagodi (Feb 25, 2025): I voted for a criminal who’s dismantling our gains. Regret.”
- “@_James041 (Feb 27, 2025): Unpopular regime bribing people to fill rallies. Pathetic.”
- “@MaryK2022 (Mar 11, 2025): Ruto’s rating is below 5%. He’s dragging Raila down too.”
- Systemic Critique: “@ahmednasirlaw (Sep 12, 2024): A huge credibility deficit kills even good ideas. Kenyans don’t trust them.”
Ruto’s 2024 “handshake” with opposition leader Raila Odinga—after years of railing against such alliances—drew particular scorn. “@Tsitati_George (Mar 7, 2025): Old wine, new bottle. No plan, just survival.” The move, seen as a bid to quell unrest, instead cemented views of opportunism over principle.
Does “Zero Credibility” Hold?
The “zero credibility” label is an exaggeration, but it’s rooted in real erosion. Quantitatively, Kenya boasts GDP growth (5.4% in 2023), a stable shilling, and lower inflation. Yet, these gains are dwarfed by persistent poverty, inequality, and policy flops like the fertilizer fiasco. Qualitatively, X and protests reveal a visceral loss of faith—words like “liar” and “unpopular” dominate discourse. Ruto’s responsiveness (e.g., cabinet sackings) clashes with inconsistency, leaving his administration in a credibility quagmire.
Yet, counterpoints exist. The Hustler Fund has reached 15 million Kenyans, offering micro-loans to small traders. Subsidized fertilizer halved costs for farmers like George Ochieng, per The Africa Report (2023). Internationally, Ruto’s May 2024 U.S. state visit bolstered his global image. These pockets of success suggest credibility isn’t entirely gone—just buried under domestic discontent.
A Government on Thin Ice
As of March 12, 2025, Ruto’s government isn’t at “zero credibility” in a literal sense—some policies deliver, and a loyal base endures. But the phrase encapsulates a profound crisis of trust, fueled by broken promises, scandals, and a heavy-handed response to dissent. Economic gains feel abstract when maize costs soar and jobs elude the youth. Governance lapses—from abductions to fertilizer fraud—reinforce perceptions of a regime adrift. On X, in the streets, and in the data, Kenyans signal a demand for accountability that Ruto has yet to meet. His administration’s survival hinges on bridging this gap—turning rhetoric into results before the ice of public patience cracks entirely. March 12, 2025,