WAINAINA: Ruto’s hustler economy was a lie: Time for people’s economy

President William Ruto speaks during the meeting with UDA aspirants at State House in Nairobi on February 4, 2026 /PCS

Kenya is at a turning point. It must experience its own rupture. Political freedom has proved inadequate without economic freedom. We can no longer live a lie. We must build a new political order based on constitutional economic statecraft.

Building a strong domestic economy is a consequential imperative. We live in a fragile, transactional and unpredictable multipolar world. In such an ambiguous global environment, Kenya must make clear choices. Countries without a futuristic strategy rooted in preparedness, vigilance and realism will be left behind. We must see the world as it is emerging. Change is unavoidable.

Old politics of personality, ethnicity, regionalism and kingpinship is over. It is irrelevant. We now live in a world of competition among ideas, visions and values. Strong national economic resilience and the ability to chart a strategic and pragmatic course are critical.

A country’s strength is determined by a combination of economic power, military capability, political stability, human capital and soft power.

President Ruto never changed the structure of the economic system. There was never a true bottom-up economy. He sold a political narrative packaged as the hustler economy. It was a lie.

Within months of being sworn in, he returned to continuity. He chose what he knew and what he was comfortable with. He quickly abandoned his hustler narrative and reverted to establishment politics and economics.

The President has enhanced the very structural problems afflicting the economy, including spiralling public debt, institutional weakness, financial system stress and human capital deficits.

He stabilised macroeconomic indicators but failed to address the daily economic realities of citizens. People do not eat GDP statistics.

To survive politically and appear not to have betrayed his promise, Ruto formalised a costly and unsustainable handout economy funded through debt and punitive taxes. His campaign-style Cabinet failed to govern effectively.

Revolt followed from his voter base and from young people. The hustler economy was never a new economic order. It was old politics in new packaging.

Kenyans must elect a legitimate government that dismantles the Mbeberu (settler) economy and its pillars of extraction, exploitation and domination. Structural chokeholds must be removed.

The economic system that has existed for 120 years must end. A new political order must unlock the people’s capabilities, potential and ingenuity. Kenyans need true economic freedom, not a fake hustler economy.

President Mwai Kibaki only shook the Mbeberu economy, and people felt liberated. But the system held. We must end this dehumanising order and establish a new economy based on entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity.

The people must drive growth. The state must be a referee, not a player. It must provide fair rules and essential public goods.

The West admits it created a US-led international economic order for its own interests. That order is now rupturing. A new system must reflect today’s realities. Kenya must build an economic order based on its own interests and values.

Kenyans are hardworking and entrepreneurial. They turn turbulence into resilience. Their faith is active, not passive.

Kenya has growth without shared transformation. Many want a more inclusive and responsive model. The state-led, debt-financed system with a weak private sector must end. A new economic and fiscal compact is necessary, driven by human capital, investment, innovation and enterprise.

To become a crucible of opportunity, Kenya must lead with vision, innovate with purpose and grow with equity. Competitiveness, innovation, entrepreneurship and strong ecosystems must drive development.

A people’s economy is possible. It is driven by investment in people, productivity and enterprise. Citizens must have real opportunities to earn, save and prosper. Government must enjoy legitimacy and trust. You cannot grow an economy by taxing poverty. Tax follows value creation.

The linchpin of a people’s economy is human dignity and choice. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Food, housing, health, education and economic sovereignty must be prioritised.

Kenya must spend smarter and eliminate inefficiencies. Revenue must be raised fairly, with lower taxes and lighter regulation. The private sector must be empowered by ending government borrowing from local markets and reducing credit costs. Education and training must be accessible and of high quality.

Energy costs must fall by confronting cartels and structural pricing problems. Investment in green energy is essential. Clean governance and a strong rule of law are non-negotiable. Kenya needs leadership with foresight, courage, and independence.

Wainaina is transitional justice and human security fellow @NdunguWainaina