Populism Without Production: Why Ruto’s Gimmicks Can’t Build an Economy

President William Ruto’s campaign gimmicks are not a development strategy; they are a political survival tactic. They trade long-term economic planning for short-term applause, and symbolism for substance.

Dressing up populism as empowerment does not build an economy, expand the tax base, or create sustainable jobs. It merely postpones hard decisions.

An economy grows by creating productive employment, supporting industry, lowering the cost of production, and expanding value chains—not by romanticizing survivalist hustles.

Mama mbogas and boda boda riders are not evidence of economic success; they are symptoms of economic failure.

These are last-resort livelihoods adopted by citizens who could not secure formal, stable jobs in an economy that has failed to absorb its workforce.

Presenting them as the centerpiece of development policy is an admission that the state has surrendered its responsibility to create real opportunities.

Why Ruto’s Approach Cannot Grow the Economy

Ruto’s approach cannot grow the economy because it does not increase productivity.

It cannot increase the number of taxpayers because it does not move people from informal survival into formal, scalable enterprises.

It does not support structures for job creation because it avoids investing seriously in manufacturing, agro-processing, technology, and skills development.

Instead of reviewing tariffs, reducing energy costs, fixing logistics, and protecting local industry, the government leans on slogans and staged engagements that deliver political mileage but no economic transformation.

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No Focus

A government without a clear focus on job creation, industrial policy, and tariff reform is a government without an economic strategy.

You cannot tax your way into prosperity when people are unemployed, underemployed, or trapped in low-income informal work.

You cannot empower citizens by normalizing economic desperation as innovation.

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Politics Sold as “Economic Strategy”

What we are witnessing is not leadership anchored in economic strategy, but politics engineered for milestones—launches, rallies, optics, and talking points.

It is easier to sell hope than to build factories. Easier to celebrate hustling than to fix broken systems.

Easier to blame citizens for not working hard enough than to confront policy failure.

Tragedy Facing Kenya

The tragedy is not just poor leadership; it is public tolerance of it.

We lack leaders focused on serious economic thinking, and we too often entertain performance artists and jokers as decision-makers.

Until we demand strategy over gimmicks, production over propaganda, and jobs over noise, the economy will remain stuck, and the burden will continue to fall on the very people being paraded as success stories.

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Dr. Luchetu Likaka PhD is a Distinguished Consultant Criminologist and Sociologist, boasting over 15 years of Experience in the Field. PHOTO/ Luchetu Likaka