Ruto's two political mistakes, two wildfires

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna addressing the Linda Mwananchi rally in Thika on June 14, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Linda Mwananchi is an existential threat to President William Ruto’s dream of a second term in office. It is circling him like an unstoppable wild forest fire that could merge with other fires to eat him up. Recognising this, President Ruto has responded by characterising the entire opposition as an existential threat to Kenya.

If anyone should worry about this inferno, it is President Ruto and his political cronies, and not the Kenyan nation. It is understandable, however, that when people are in power, they sometimes mistake themselves for the country. They think that they are the state and its institutions. In their narrow interpretation, an existential threat to them becomes a threat to the country, hence the classification of President Ruto’s personal anxiety over the massing of opposition troops as a threat to the country.