Kenya’s parliament has passed a resolution to impeach Vice President Ligati Gachagua, in what many analysts interpret as a reassertion of control by President William Ruto, an attempt by the president to squeeze more revenue from taxpayers. The president’s leadership has been confused and indecisive following nationwide protests that have thwarted his plans. .
Mr Gachagua, a key figure who helped Mr Ruto deliver the Kikuyu votes needed to win the 2022 election, is no angel. He has a history of legal tangles related to the misappropriation of public funds and is a cannon in public speaking, often vocalizing the unwritten rules of Kenyan politics. Even if impeachment were to proceed, his departure from power would not be a major loss for Kenyan governance.
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kenya
demonstration and protest
politics and government
corruption
But the noise and fury surrounding Gachagua’s impeachment means nothing when it comes to the real concerns that fueled the protests. Many of the charges against Gachagua, including those related to promoting ethnic division and corruption, could be leveled against other government officials, especially the president himself. Few Kenyans will shed a tear for Gachagua, but the spectacle of impeachment will only increase public cynicism about selective accountability, and eventually the distraction it creates will wear off. Meanwhile, responsibility for attacks on activists remains vague, 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 the demonstrations that took place over the summer, Kenyans were not demanding that the spoils be reallocated among the political elite. They demanded changes to the system itself, an end to a set of rules for the upper echelons and the masses. Ruto’s efforts to bring political opponents into government and find new winning formulas are based on the strategy of Kenyan politics before the protests, and are therefore completely off base. Kenyan youth want real action to curb corruption, real accountability for abuse of power, and a real reason to trust that their leaders are working for the people as a whole, not for personal gain. Masu. A sacrificial lamb, even if it tastes bad, is not enough to meet those demands.
detail:
kenya
demonstration and protest
politics and government
corruption
