Government Responds to The Economist's Harsh Headline against William Ruto: "Let Kenyans Decide"
- The Economist's explosive editorial piece against President William Ruto's regime would unarguably not sit well with the government in Nairobi
- The London-based publisher highlighted what it said were gross shortcomings of the president, even suggesting that he should not seek reelection
- State House Nairobi responded, bashing The Economist for bypassing facts, and bordering its critical piece on ignorance and malice
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President William Ruto has repudiated the narrative peddled by a section of international media that he is mismanaging the country.
Source: Facebook
Through State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, the president said the publications by such outlets are baseless.
State House Nairobi referenced a headline by The Economist, a current affairs journal headquartered in London.
How did The Economist hit out at Ruto?
The publication explosively wrote about Ruto's regime on July 4, highlighting many presumed shortcomings attributed to the president, which were cited as the trigger for the current unrest in the country.
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The Economist noted that "Kenya has grown steadily and sustained a largely peaceful democracy. But now the picture is looking bleak, as people grow discontented and vent their anger in the streets. The country’s leader must change tack."
It went on to expound on the supposed misses of Ruto in a lengthy piece that got so much traction on the Kenyan internet.
The regime in Nairobi took weeks to craft a response.
How State House Nairobi responded to The Economist
In what was said to be "Ruto's right of reply", State House Nairobi argued that the gist of The Economist's article was malicious and aimed at tainting Ruto.
Hussein said the publication bypassed facts to rile up the Kenyan public.
He lauded the president for making the toughest of decisions to transform Kenya: "Ruto is, in fact, making the hard choices others feared and reshaping Kenya's future through bold, necessary reforms."
"To claim that Kenya has enjoyed political and economic stability for the past two decades, yet fail to acknowledge the overwhelming macro-economic indicators showing Kenya performing better than ever now, is not only disingenuous, but borders on willful ignorance, deliberate distortion or outright malice," said Hussein.
The spokesperson chided The Economist for advancing supposed misinformation despite being a reputable outlet, saying that "such omissions are alarming, adding that his response "sought to offer the facts that appear to have been either inadvertently overlooked or deliberately ignored."
Hussein listed all he said were successes of Ruto close to three years into his election as president.
Contrary to the conclusion by The Economist that Ruto had failed, Hussein said his boss had kept to his agenda of transforming the economy and uplifting the lowly citizenry.
He said the president outdid himself, having taken over the country when it was recovering from a recession occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Kenya Kwanza administration's agenda gives priority to agricultural productivity, affordable housing, universal healthcare, micro, small and medium enterprise reforms, access to affordable credit, broadband connectivity through the 100,000km digital superhighway roll-out, and the growth of the creative economy. At the heart of all these interventions is job creation, an urgent need for the nearly one million youth who graduate annually, 80% of whom remain unemployed," he said.
Source: Twitter
Is Kenya's economy on right track?
Hussein noted that all the economic growth indicators pointed to Ruto's success, citing data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He observed that Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had improved throughout Ruto's regime;
"Kenya has recorded an average annual GDP growth rate of 5%, outperforming the global average of 3.3% and the regional average of 3.8%.
"In May 2025, the International Monetary Fund projected that Kenya's GDP would reach $132 billion (KSh 17 trillion), making it the largest economy in East and Central Africa and the sixth-largest on the continent," he added.
Reduced inflation and the stability of the Kenyan currency against the greenback also added to the list of Hussein's defence points.
Gen Z protests, Kenya as independent democracy
On the flip side, Hussein shared in The Economist's stance that the Gen Z protests and police brutality in them ought not to be overlooked.
He, however, asserted that the government had taken responsibility for the atrocities against members of the public by the state operatives.
"It is true, and deeply tragic, that lives have been lost in recent demonstrations, and the government has acknowledged these painful events. The case of Albert Ojwang is particularly heartbreaking and regrettable, and it too has been formally acknowledged by the government. Investigations are ongoing, and several police officers have already been charged in court, with active prosecution underway. No democracy can flourish without accountability, and the administration remains firmly committed to upholding justice," Hussein said.
In his hard-hitting parting shot against The Economist, Hussein declared that only Kenyans can gauge their president and decide whether to re-elect him.
He stated Kenya is a democracy and independent state whose people are at liberty to elect whoever they deem fit without external influence.
"In any case, shouldn't the voters, not The Economist, make that decision at the ballot at the next elections? To claim that President Ruto is "taking Kenya to a dangerous place" is not only misleading but also ignores the bold, transformative reforms that are stabilising the economy, expanding opportunity, and restoring national dignity," said Hussein.
How Ruto's government responded to BBC
The current regime in power has had a rough run at the hands of international media.
In 2023, the BBC went ballistic on Ruto headlining a critical story as "William Ruto: The ‘tax collector’ president sparking Kenyan anger".
The article based its averments on the exploitative tax regimes that Ruto's government was formulating.
The article sparked protestation from the government, with spokesperson Isaac Mwaura coming out counter the claims by the BBC.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
