What if Ruto is on right path?

I know this line of thinking may unsettle many. Still, it would be intellectually dishonest of me, as a public thinker, to use this column solely to set an agenda of consistently vilifying the current regime. You may ask: Is shooting and killing citizens the right path? What about overtaxing Kenyans? What about the entrenched systemic corruption? What about the misuse of public funds and the indifference we are experiencing under Kenya Kwanza leadership? Right path ango’wa? Right path ni wewe! Amidst all these voices, let us reason together.

By the time his first term was ending in 2007, Mwai Kibaki was not a celebrated man. His first term had been punctuated, or so we were made to believe, by grand corruption, extrajudicial killings, and a political atmosphere so suffocating that his re-election, and the reality that he would be president for another five years, sparked one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history. Yet today, Mr Kibaki is remembered as the architect of Kenya’s economic rebirth—one of its kind since independence.

What changed? Time. The uncomfortable truth is that reform often masquerades as disruption.

Kibaki’s style was technocratic, his speech sparse, and his war on inefficiency was misread as indifference. But beneath the surface, he was laying foundations, roads, institutions, and fiscal policies that would later be hailed as visionary. He was not perfect, but he was purposeful, and Kenyans were hurt.

So I ask: What if we entertain the thought that President William Ruto is walking a similar path?

What if the discomfort we feel is not proof of failure, but evidence of disruption? What if the pain we are experiencing is the price of restructuring? If we had the same experience with Kibaki, what makes us think we can now see clearly?

This is not a call for blind loyalty. It is a call for exploring various thinking paths. There’s a principle, let’s call it the paradox of reform, where leaders who challenge the status quo are often disparaged first, only to be vindicated later. Kibaki lived it. Could Ruto be living it too? Say never! But what if I am right?

History offers a compelling parallel. In 1942, Winston Churchill faced immense criticism in Britain. His wartime decisions were unpopular, his tone abrasive, and his refusal to negotiate with Adolf Hitler was seen by many as reckless. Yet Churchill understood a more profound truth that short-term appeasement often leads to long-term ruin. He held the line. And when the dust settled, he was remembered not for his stubbornness, but for his resolve that benefited the country.

Churchill’s leadership was guided by what political theorists call the principle of deferred legitimacy. This is the idea that some decisions only make sense in hindsight, once their fruits have matured. Kibaki’s presidency fits this model. Could Ruto be on the same path?

If so, then the question shifts: What must Ruto do to avoid Kibaki’s early pitfalls while preserving the long-term gains?

First, he must master narrative discipline. Kibaki’s silence allowed critics to define his presidency. Ruto must not repeat that mistake. I have said several times in this space that if he is restructuring, he must explain, not just in policy briefs, but in language that connects with the mwananchi’s daily struggle.

Second, he must listen to critics and consider their concerns. Critics are not always enemies; some are mirrors. There is no benefit to his being celebrated posthumously.

Third, Kibaki’s aloofness cost him political capital. Ruto must balance technocracy with empathy. Acknowledging pain and showing moral solidarity can soften resistance without compromising the need for reform.

Finally, he must erect guardrails against corruption and impunity. If he is truly restructuring for the better, Ruto must ensure that opportunists do not hijack his reform.

Kibaki and Churchill taught us that history indeed has a way of humbling our judgments. But this does not mean we suspend calling out Ruto’s government for accountability.

Dr Ndonye is Dean of Kabarak University’s School of Music and Media