Kenya protests expose jet-setting Ruto’s neglect of discontent at home

In the two years since he was elected, Kenya’s President William Ruto has wowed global climate activists under the Eiffel Tower, brushed shoulders with global tech titans in Silicon Valley and was toasted as a global peacekeeper at the White House.

As he notched up dozens of foreign trips, however, citizens back home endured gruelling economic hardship.

Already hammered by a cost-of-living crisis and watching those in government enjoy the largesse derived from their positions, Kenyans forced Ruto to ditch plans to introduce eye-watering tax hikes after days of protests.