View source for Apos;Life Is Worse apos;: Kenya apos;s Ruto Marks 100 Days In Office

Since being elected, Kenya's President William Ruto has travelled across Africa and beyond touting Kenya's economic potential<br>  Kenyan shop attendant Winnie Wanjiru Mwaura was brimming with hope when she signed up to be an election agent for William Ruto during the August 9 polls and  [https://evigetir.com/baba.html eN] elated when he became president.<br> But barely 100 days after the rags-to-riches businessman took office on September 13, the 21-year-old wants nothing to do with him.<br> "Life has only become worse under him," the first-time voter told AFP.<br> Ruto came to power casting himself as a champion for the downtrodden, vowing to create jobs and tackle a cost-of-living crisis that has left many Kenyans struggling to put food on the table.<br> "If we take care of the bottom, we take care of everybody," the 56-year-old leader once told a campaign meeting, outlining his plan for a "bottom-up" economic transformation.<br> Since then,  [https://cakeshop.biz/living-on-the-edge-homes-inch-ever-closer-to-falling-into-the-sea-13/ E] the notoriously ambitious politician has been on a publicity overdrive, travelling across the East African nation and beyond, while touting Kenya's economic potential in speeches.<br> As far as voters like Mwaura are concerned however, Ruto has done far too little to improve the lot of ordinary Kenyans in a country where about a third of the population lives in poverty.<br> - 'Not very strategic' -<br> Ruto had promised to restructure the economy by slashing government debt, bringing down prices of essential commodities, and creating a "hustler fund" to offer personal loans to any Kenyan with a cellphone and a mobile money account.<br>          The new administration created a "hustler fund" to offer personal loans to any Kenyan with a cellphone and a mobile money account<br>  But his first act after assuming office was to slash food and fuel subsidies introduced by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.<br> While Ruto argued that the interventions had "not borne any fruit", their removal was a request from the [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/International%20Monetary International Monetary] Fund, a major lender to the East African economic powerhouse.<br> Experts called it a rash decision.<br> "The move to remove the fuel subsidy was not very strategic as it has led to a slower economy, rising inflation and higher interest rates," Ken Gichinga, chief economist at business analytics firm Mentoria Economics, told AFP.<br> The Central Bank of Kenya raised interest rates by a cumulative 1.75 percent in 2022, the most in seven years, while inflation soared to a five-year high of 9. If you have any sort of concerns relating to where and how you can make use of [https://evigetir.com/evdeneve/montaj%20-%20Kopya.html E], you can call us at our webpage. 6 percent in October.<br>          Ruto will mark his one hundredth day in the job on Thursday<br>  Even Ruto's pet project, the 50-billion-shilling ($408-million) "hustler fund", has sparked controversy, with some accusing him of reneging on promises to make the credit scheme interest-free.<br> The fund, launched last month, will offer personal loans of up to 50,000 Kenyan shillings, with interest charged at eight percent a year -- lower than the rate of inflation.<br> Borrowers have already complained of difficulty in getting loans higher than 1,000 Kenyan shillings approved, despite the fund's stated objective of boosting financial access for the country's poorest citizens.<br>          About a third of Kenya's population lives in poverty<br>  "They inflated the prices of goods, then give you a 500-shilling loan which can only buy two packets of maize flour," Michael Wafula, a 35-year-old mechanic, told AFP.<br> For shop attendants like Mwaura, who earns just 700 Kenyan shillings a day, the fund will do little to change her fortunes.<br> Still, she borrowed 1,000 Kenyan shillings to pay for a trip to the hair salon.<br> "I used the loan to get my hair braided," she said.<br><br>"What else can one do with a 1,000-shilling loan?"<br> - 'The ship is floating' -<br> Ruto -- who will mark his one hundredth day in the job on Thursday -- also failed to deliver on his campaign pledge to achieve gender parity in his cabinet, naming just seven women to his 22-member team.<br> Meanwhile critics have accused his administration of engaging in political vendettas.<br> Earlier this month, four election commission officials who had cast doubt on the poll results that brought him to power, were suspended by the government.<br> "They are not behaving like they are in power; they are still fighting wars that you would expect to be fought during an election," political analyst Herman Manyora told AFP.<br>          Kenya's President William Ruto failed to deliver on his campaign pledge to achieve gender parity in his cabinet<br>  Despite a "disappointing" start however, Manyora, who supported Ruto's opponent Raila Odinga during the polls, said it was too early to dismiss the president and his team.<br> "We would give them five out of 10 because the ship is floating," he said, adding that he was cautiously hopeful.<br> For Ruto's hustler voter base however, the verdict is already a foregone conclusion.<br> "Ruto has a sweet tongue but I haven't seen anything from the new administration," said a car washer, who gave her first name as Jane.<br>