{"id":124460,"date":"2025-11-10T11:05:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/11\/10\/in-whose-hands-is-kenyas-democracy-safe-ruto-says-its-all-about-the-people\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:05:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:05:54","slug":"in-whose-hands-is-kenyas-democracy-safe-ruto-says-its-all-about-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/in-whose-hands-is-kenyas-democracy-safe-ruto-says-its-all-about-the-people\/","title":{"rendered":"In whose hands is Kenya\u2019s democracy safe? Ruto says it\u2019s all about the people"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 \u2014 President William Ruto has declared that Kenya\u2019s democracy remains secure under his leadership, asserting that democratic governance in the country is \u201cnot about a person, but about the people.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during an interview with Al Jazeera in Doha, Ruto maintained that democracy is deeply rooted in Kenya\u2019s national character, distancing himself from growing regional concerns about democratic backsliding in East Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely, democracy in Kenya is not about a person, it\u2019s not about the president\u2014it\u2019s about the people,\u201d Ruto said when asked whether democracy in Kenya was safe in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Kenya are democrats. Their DNA is democratic, and therefore not the president, not anybody, can stop Kenya from being a democratic country.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president\u2019s remarks came amid a wide-ranging interview covering his three-year record in office, his government\u2019s handling of nationwide protests, and Kenya\u2019s growing regional role.<\/p>\n

However, it was his comments on democracy that drew regional attention, appearing to indirectly critique neighboring Uganda and Tanzania.<\/p>\n

While declining to directly assess Tanzania\u2019s recent election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared winner with 98 percent of the vote, Ruto noted that such results would be impossible in Kenya.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not for me to judge Tanzania. In a democracy, for example, in Kenya, you can never get 96 percent,\u201d he said\u2014a pointed contrast that many observers saw as an implicit rebuke of Tanzania\u2019s political landscape.<\/p>\n

\u2018Work in progress\u2019<\/h2>\n

Pressed further about Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni has ruled for nearly four decades, Ruto said democracy remains a \u201cwork in progress\u201d across Africa but emphasized that Kenya stands out as a \u201cfront-runner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are countries like Kenya that are way ahead, others catching up, and others still not yet started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut democracy is the best system of governance\u2014it\u2019s not always tidy, but it is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruto\u2019s comments came against a backdrop of domestic criticism over his administration\u2019s human rights record. His government has faced accusations of heavy-handed police responses to recent youth-led protests over the high cost of living, taxes, and corruption.<\/p>\n

Human rights groups have reported deaths, abductions, and enforced disappearances linked to the crackdowns\u2014allegations Ruto dismissed as exaggerated, insisting that rogue officers are being held accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will always be rogue elements, even within a force of 110,000,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when we find them, we deal with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president also defended his record on economic reforms, saying Kenya\u2019s economy had grown to become Africa\u2019s sixth-largest under his leadership and that he had \u201cfixed\u201d key sectors such as agriculture, education, and health.<\/p>\n

On the regional front, Ruto positioned Kenya as a \u201cdemocratic anchor\u201d amid instability in neighboring countries, noting that Nairobi\u2019s openness allows even foreign civic and political groups to meet freely.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenya is a great democratic country. It\u2019s the only place in East and Central Africa where people can come and meet freely from every part of the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 \u2014 President William Ruto has declared that Kenya\u2019s democracy remains secure under his leadership, asserting that democratic governance in the country is \u201cnot about a person, but about the people.\u201d Speaking during an interview with Al Jazeera in Doha, Ruto maintained that democracy is deeply rooted in Kenya\u2019s national character, distancing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124460\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}