Kenya: Booed at home and hailed abroad Ruto marks one year in office
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Transcript
00:00 Olivia Bizeau brings us more from Nairobi.
00:02 It's been a rollercoaster of a year for Kenya's President William Ruto.
00:08 Throughout his election campaign, he promised to revive the economy
00:12 and make life easier for the country's poorest.
00:15 He became known as a hustler-in-chief and talked a lot about his humble beginnings,
00:20 selling chickens by the roadside, for example.
00:22 But since coming to power, his increased taxes and prices have soared.
00:27 And as a result, many Kenyans are struggling to make ends meet.
00:31 In July, he introduced a finance bill into law, and that bill introduced even more taxes.
00:37 Many oppose that act.
00:40 They say that it was unconstitutional and are trying to block it in the courts.
00:45 Now, the head of the opposition, Raila Odinga,
00:47 has, of course, been hugely critical of William Ruto and his policies.
00:53 In March, he called on Kenyans to take to the streets.
00:56 But those demonstrations quickly turned violent.
01:00 In the five months of protests, around 30 Kenyans were killed.
01:05 But it's not all gloom and doom.
01:08 Ruto has brought some good to the country.
01:12 His supporters, for example, say that he's improved access to internet
01:16 and that he's really pushed for more digitalization.
01:19 And while his reputation in Kenya may have suffered over the past year,
01:24 on the global scene, he's seen as a key figure.
01:28 Just last week, he hosted the Africa Climate Summit,
01:31 where he was able to put forward the country's climate agenda,
01:35 which centers around renewable energy.
01:38 He's also seen as a dependable partner by Western nations.
01:43 And he's taken a strong stand, for example, against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
01:48 Now, a local survey published on Wednesday shows that 49% of Kenyans
01:53 are confident that the country is headed in the right direction,
01:57 and that only 36% of the population are very concerned about the country's future.