Ruto cannot credibly claim to be the man who will solve Kenya’s odious debt problem when he was part of the government that accumulated and defended much of that debt during the UhuRuto era.
You cannot help build the debt mountain, defend the borrowing, share in the power that contracted it, and then suddenly present yourself as the outsider who will rescue Kenyans from the consequences.
Today, the economy is under extraordinary fiscal pressure, with a huge share of every shilling collected in revenue going straight to debt servicing and leaving less for healthcare, education, jobs and development.
That model is simply unsustainable.
Kenya does not need more borrowing to pay yesterday’s borrowing. We need to confront the debt burden, audit questionable obligations, stop reckless borrowing and put the economy back on a sustainable path.
The man who helped build the debt trap cannot honestly pretend he is merely its victim.