It is difficult to "qualify or quantify" President William Ruto's success, Dr. Michael Ndonye, a political commentator and senior lecturer at Kabarak University, Kenya, told Sputnik. Nonetheless, the Ruto administration has implemented some measures that have lifted people's spirits and kept them "hopeful of a better future," but time will tell whether he is able to fulfill all his promises.
Ruto took over as Kenya's president on September 13. He inherited a major challenge as the country had been facing various economic and social issues which needed to be urgently addressed. The expert stated that the country "was experiencing harsh economic times due to skyrocketing prices of basic commodities," and therefore "there were high expectations" that the new government would take steps to alleviate people's burdens.
Dr. Ndonye underlined that promises to resolve economic difficulties are commonplace in presidential campaigns, with "every political side" pledging to improve the situation.
Talking about the political campaign of the newly-elected president, Dr. Nicodemus Minde, adjunct lecturer in international relations at the United States International University – Africa, told Sputnik that Ruto won the elections "on a populist platform" with a promise to empower ordinary Kenyans. His message "appealed to the downtrodden, hustlers [a buzzword in Kenya's political life used to indicate common citizens who struggle to put food on the table]."
"It was expected that he stabilize an ailing economy and tackle corruption. The country was facing mounting debt and inflation and it was expected that he would deal with all this," Dr. Minde noted.
Dr. Ndonye, however, believes that "the new administration has managed to restore hope", although some issues at first may "get worse than before." In particular, he referred to the decision to lift subsidies on fuel and basic commodities as part of the government's fiscal consolidation measures aimed at addressing financial constraints.
The consolidation measures are largely promoted by the IMF, as the global lender demands the government lift the subsidies on basic products and increase taxes if it seeks to receive financial assistance. According to Dr. Ndonye, while "Ruto’s biggest challenge is to fulfill his ambitious promises to the people," these steps may not gain much support.
"With the requirement for the country to do some ‘structural adjustments’, none of which is favoring the citizens economically, there is not likely to be some light at the end of the tunnel soon," he stated.
He maintains that more time is needed to see concrete results. For example, the government already launched the "hustler fund," a credit scheme that allows "hustlers" or some small businesses obtain loans at low interest rates. The creation of the fund was one of the lead promises of Ruto's campaign. Dr. Ndonye noted that even though "the opposition feels this is not sustainable," people should give it time if they want "to assess objectively."
For his part, Dr. Minde agreed that the fund is an important action implemented by the new administration, and "while it is still early days, this could be revolutionary." He also outlined some of Ruto's other prominent achievements so far, including his intention to ensure the rule of law and "bring back the respect of the constitution." As soon as Ruto took office, he "appointed six judges who were nominated by the country’s Judicial Service Commission" after they were frozen out by his predecessor. This was followed by some other appointments and steps taken to improve relations with the judiciary.
According to Dr. Minde, after 100 days in office Ruto is still facing "a daunting task of stabilizing the economy," as well as a glaring problem of corruption that is "endemic." He also mentioned the ethnic polarization in Kenya as another challenge for the newly-elected president, who "has to work hard to foster national inclusion." He concluded that "a lot needs to be done" in these fields.
Asked whether it's adequate to assess the leaders' achievements based on their first 100 days, he stated that although it has been criticized a lot, it is a good evaluation, especially on the key promises a leader makes."
"The 100 days has now become a yardstick for measuring the political trajectory a president would take going forward," Dr. Minde said, adding: "The 100 days is also used by politicians in their manifesto, so there is nothing wrong if it is used to evaluate performance."
Dr. Ndonye, in turn, also highlighted that the promise to change people's lives in 100 days is largely used by politicians during campaigns, while they are offering a "magical wand" to their voters. As they pledged to implement immediate solutions, "they will have to find ways of reversing their ambitious promises because they will be evaluated" based on what they previously said.
However, he admitted that the first "100 days is not enough" to be considered the final verdict on a president's term.
Of course, considering the reality of things, it is premature to make conclusions based on 100 days of one’s rule. The 100 days is an impossibility and a campaign over-exaggeration. Although that’s what people want to hear; voters like lies and unrealistic quick solutions," he says.