Dangote is Ruto’s chance at real success; he should be open on it
Kenya’s President William Ruto and industrialist Aliko Dangote inspect machinery before the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu, Kenya, on September 30, 2026.
If the Dangote oil refinery project in Lamu has no socio-economic, legal or constitutional encumbrances, then it is a welcome investment. In fact, the Ksh2 trillion ($16 billion) project would be William Ruto’s only success story since assumption of office in 2022. All other regime projects or policies have been partial or total failures. Bottom-Up ‘voodoonomics’ failed to create jobs, attract investment or reduce poverty levels. The education sector is crippled by lack of conceptual clarity, capacity inadequacies, and infrastructural deficiencies. The university funding model is mired in total confusion. Then there are the perennial problems of teachers’ and lecturer’s terms and conditions of work.
The less we say about health and the SHA insurance scheme, the better. Suffice it to say that it’s one of the costliest failures in Kenya’s history. The much-hyped Hustler Fund was flagged by the Auditor-General as a money-gobbling hole. Experts’ assessment of the scheme found that it made little or no impact on youth unemployment. In foreign policy, Mr Ruto engaged in controversial diplomacy, going against AU policy with regard to the question of Saharawi, and engaging with leaders of the Rapid Support Forces of Sudan, who are under international scrutiny for gross violations of human rights. The regime’s foreign policy lacks central organising principles or long-term strategic vision. On human rights, the regime has failed in horrific fashion. In 2024, tens of youths protesting heavy taxation and regime opulence were gunned down in the streets of Nairobi and elsewhere. Then followed a dark season of abductions, torture and enforced disappearances of regime critics. Goon militias are routinely deployed against opponents and critics. On the environment, there are reports of excision of gazetted forests and national parks. The regime has failed to curb unprecedented levels of corruption. There is growing cronyism and tribalism in appointment to key positions. Due to these and other failures, polls have consistently indicated that an overwhelming majority think the country is headed in the wrong direction.
