No anarchy in Kenya: President Ruto vows to quell tax-hike anti-govt rallies

Kenyan President William Ruto — who has said he ‘cannot accept anarchy’ amid opposition’s calls for more anti-government protests to be held later this week — has become yet another leader in the East African country who is facing the consequences of confusing a parliamentary majority for popular legitimacy, according to experts.
Ruto warned his government will not allow planned three days of opposition protests to take place starting from Wednesday (19 July) after more than 300 people were arrested in the aftermath of two rounds of deadly demonstrations last week. The president’s warning came as the party of the main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, called for more rallies to be held against tax hikes that Ruto signed into law last month. “Protests will no longer take place in our nation of Kenya. The one they have planned for Wednesday will not be possible,” said Ruto, who beat Odinga in an August election.
Ruto pledged to be a champion for the poor in the lead-up to last year’s elections, but his critics say the tax rises will hurt Kenyans already struggling to afford basic commodities, such as maize flour. “It seems that Ruto is coming up against the limits of his power,” wrote Patrick Gathara, a Nairobi-based communications consultant, writer, and political cartoonist, in a recent opinion piece. “His absolute majorities in both houses of parliament and his control of the executive may have somewhat obscured an obvious and fundamental weakness: that he does not enjoy much of a mandate.” Gathara also notes that Ruto has become, “amid deadly anti-government protests, [yet] another Kenyan president is facing the consequences of confusing a parliamentary majority for popular legitimacy.”