Kenyan Politics Fail to Meet the Moment

Kenya’s parliament has voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in what many analysts are interpreting as a reassertion of control by President William Ruto, whose leadership has been muddled and indecisive in the wake of nationwide protests that thwarted his plans to squeeze more revenue out of taxpayers.  

Gachagua, an essential figure that helped to deliver the Kikuyu votes that Ruto needed to win the 2022 election, is no angel. He has a history of legal entanglements related to misappropriating public funds and is something of a loose cannon in his public remarks, often stating the unwritten rules of Kenyan politics out loud. His departure from government, should the impeachment proceed, would not be a great loss to Kenyan governance. 

But when it comes to the real concerns that animated the protests, the sound and fury around Gachagua’s impeachment signify nothing. Many of the charges against Gachagua—such as those relating to promoting ethnic divisions and corruption—could be leveled at other senior members of government, not least the President himself. While few Kenyans will shed a tear for Gachagua, the impeachment spectacle will only increase public cynicism about selective accountability, and ultimately the distraction it creates will fade. Meanwhile, accountability for attacks on activists remains elusive, and it remains to be seen whether the government’s request for a diagnostic review of governance and corruption by the International Monetary Fund will lead to meaningful change.  

In their demonstrations over the summer, the Kenyan people were not demanding a re-arranging of the spoils among political elites. They demanded a change to the system itself, an end to one set of rules for those at the top and another for the masses. Ruto’s efforts to bring political opponents into government and find a new, winning electoral equation comes from the pre-protest playbook of Kenyan politics—and thus entirely misses the point. Young Kenyans want real action to tame corruption, real accountability for abuses of power, and real reasons to trust that their leaders are working for the public at large and not personal gain. A sacrificial lamb, however unsavory, will not suffice to satisfy those demands.