It happened in Kenya: Goon escorts and a killer presidential entourage
Kenyans were left disappointed after a gang of goons terrorized unsuspecting pedestrians and motorists during President Ruto’s tour of the Nairobi region.
President Ruto had embarked on a five-day tour of Nairobi starting March 10.
The goons seemed to accompany the president to various destinations in Thika Road, Eastleigh, Jogoo Road and Ngong Road; taking advantage of the president’s disruptive rallies to engage in criminal activities.
On Tuesday, March 11, goons took to robbing civilians along Thika Road following President Ruto’s tour of the region. The trend was in full swing last week as wherever the president went, a swarm of rowdy youths would swoop in soon after snatching phones and handbags from pedestrians, hijacking motorists and looting from businesses.
The situation has escalated to a point where Kenyans have to plan against President Ruto’s schedule. Now we all know to avoid areas where the President and his motorcade will be. Because even when the goons don’t get to you, the President’s motorcade probably will.
In an extreme case of utter carelessness and disregard for civilian life, the Presidential motorcade turned deadly on Thursday, March 13.
Edgar Charles Frederick, a 75-year-old British man was the casualty of a hit-and-run involving the President’s motorcade. Frederick, who had hearing problems, did not hear the sirens of the motorcade as he walked across Ngong Road. He was reportedly on his way to a mosque when the unfortunate incident happened at around 1 pm.
Well, then, you may say, he shouldn’t have been crossing the road at that moment. But again, how else is someone supposed to walk across a highway with speeding vehicles, which also happens to have no single pedestrian crossing point? What is the government’s role in catering to the needs of its civilian population?
Anyways, back to the goons.
I believe that these recent incidents involving rowdy youths are no fluke. They are a testament to a deeper systemic problem rooted in Kenya’s socio-political infrastructure.
Kenya’s impoverished neighbourhoods, which the president so happened to be touring, are teeming with a huge population of youths who are unemployed and desperate to earn a living. In the eyes of many politicians, however, these youths are full of energy and enthusiasm which can be harnessed not in worthwhile employment, but to do their dirty bidding.
Most politicians will often ‘hire’ these youths to cheer for them at political rallies and jeer their political opponents. They often also hire these youths to disrupt political events organized by their opponents and in extreme cases, to physically attack and even kill their opponents. Some politicians will even ferry these rowdy youths from the low-income urban areas where they are mostly concentrated to upcountry destinations.
The use of rowdy youths to score political points was a tactic perfected by Kenya’s longest-serving president Daniel Arap Moi. Decades later, these Moi-era tactics are still utilised to great effect in Kenya’s political scene.
Many times, these youths are paid in peanuts to the shilling. Sometimes, they do not even get paid at all.
A famous Kenyan tweep detailed how a group of these unpaid goons, who were supposedly part of President Ruto’s entourage on the first day of his Nairobi tour, followed him back to State House to demand their dues.
The promise of making some quick cash is too tempting for many of these youths to resist. And once their work in the rallies is done, their politician bosses whisk into their V8 SUVs and speed off back to their posh residences and offices. The youths, now with every reason to do as they please, transform into groups of rowdy goons and gangsters, wreaking havoc on every civilian they come across.
Unfortunately, Kenya’s political class is extremely dependent on these rowdy youths to help them make political gains, albeit in a disruptive and unsustainable manner. The easy cash becomes an addictive drug for the youths making them subservient to their political patrons. The politicians are incentivized to loot more from the public coffers, using these finances to ‘pay the goons’ who can keep doing the dirty work for them.
So, putting two and two together, it was not accidental that rowdy youths emerged alongside the President during his tour. In fact, it was by design.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) did eventually arrest 38 youths suspected to have been involved in the looting and robbing of Kenyans. However, these arrests may have come a little too late.
The president was out to make a political statement. Including one that promised a machine to a school that could practically mint a million chapos* in one day. Kenyans on X took to meme-fy his statement, adding in the fact that it was given as part of a promise to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja. Sakaja has been under fire from Kenyans for his inability to fix the city’s broken sewerage systems. From the backlash on X, Ruto earned himself a new nickname, ‘El Chapo’.
*FYI: Chapos or Chapatis in full are a common delicacy made from kneaded and unleavened wheat dough enjoyed by Kenyans across the country
From ‘Zakayo’ to ‘Kasongo’ and now ‘El Chapo’. Even I wish I could get that many nicknames, for good reasons, of course.
On Sunday, March 17, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Kenya Jackson Ole Sapit denied politicians the podium to speak during a consecration service at ACK St. Stephens, Nairobi. Sapit issued a decree stating no politician would be allowed to give speeches at any Anglican congregation. He also declared that offerings given by politicians to the church would not be declared.
He instead incentivized the politicians to go and work for the well-being of the people instead of pushing the political agenda in church congregations. This address follows the backlash from Ruto’s move to donate KSh 20 Million to a church in Roysambu, Nairobi which highlighted the diminishing willingness of the church to call out impunity with political circles..
The fact that Ole Sapit dropped this bombshell on a congregation full of politicians from the Gachagua and Ruto factions was the icing on the cake. No sooner had he finished than all the politicians left in a huff. You just love to see it.
Read More: On the fallout between Rigathi Gachagua and President William Ruto
Global Events: The U.S. economy tanks, Ukraine agrees to a ceasefire
The US economy seemed to be on free fall last week even as fears of a looming economic recession continued to mount.
The S&P 500 index, which tracks the stock performance of the United States 500 most valuable companies, fell by about 7.7% over a month, with much of this lost value occurring just last week. Most analysts and news outlets forecast a period of fear in the stock market which was coupled with reduced retail spending in the market.
Donald Trump, not to be outdone, insists that the economic instability is a carry-over from Joe Biden’s regime. In a White House marketing event for Tesla, he stated that the economy ‘went to hell’ under Biden. At a national address to Congress, Trump stated; “We inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.”
Not so fast, Donald.
Going off most economic metrics, ‘Sleepy Joe’ had actually done a good job at stabilizing the US economy. Unemployment was at a record low of about 4.1%, the inflation rate had fallen to about 2.9% and 16.6 million new jobs were created under Biden’s presidency. Trump’s first presidency resulted in the loss of over 2 million jobs, mostly due to the pandemic, but even then, the rate of new employment was nowhere close to Biden’s tenure.
Trump came to power with a promise to improve government efficiency, reduce federal spending and impose tariffs on exported goods to encourage American manufacturing.
Government spending under Trump’s first month in office has actually increased, compared to a similar period last year during Biden’s tenure. This is despite Trump’s government firing more than 20,000 federal workers, a move which apparently saved the government tens of billions of dollars, according to Elon Musk.
However, most of these savings have been wiped out by higher spending on health and retirement programs and rising interest payments, Treasury Department spending records show.
Firing the very workers that are meant to make the government run smoothly doesn’t make the government any more efficient doesn’t do much to improve the economy, does it?
Any president/leader who blames their predecessor for their economic mess is a red flag. Ask me all about it, I am a Kenyan who has seen our President do all of these things.
On Wednesday, March 12, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US, specifically targeted at Canada and Mexico. Trump has stated that the move is meant to encourage domestic manufacturing; at the expense of stifling these economies to align with US interests.
Canada promptly responded, imposing retaliatory tariffs on US steel and aluminium products worth US$ 20 Billion. The European Union has also issued its own tariffs against US products, even as Trump continues to threaten more tariffs; including a 200% tariff on EU alcohol and wines.
The uncertainty created by these tariffs alongside most of Trump’s policy decisions both domestically and globally can be cited as the reason for the economic instability in US markets.
At the end of the day, Trump’s tenure has seen him chasing shadows, blaming everyone else other than himself and getting into a pointless witch hunt. More worryingly, in an obsession to make a name for himself, he has turned on America’s closest allies waging a pointless trade war at a time when the world could do with closer economic cooperation.
Trump’s measures are mutually destructive to all involved. Just the US-EU tariff war could jeopardize business worth US$ 9.1 Trillion annually. Both the US and the EU are heavily dependent on each other for economic well-being.
So far, Trump’s measures have only benefitted China and Russia, who are the United States’ traditional ‘frenemies’, who must be gleeful seeing two of their ‘geopolitical foes’ having a go at each other.
In other news, the United States agreed to resume military aid to Ukraine, following talks held between the two nations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, March 11. Ukraine agreed to a monthlong ceasefire as a prerequisite to engage in peace talks with Russia.
The Americans, led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will now present the ceasefire deal to the Russians.
These talks came weeks after the much-publicized altercation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office. The two leaders differed on the concessions needed for Ukraine in exchange for continued US military support.
Nonetheless, Ukraine has continued seeking military aid from the US which has been crucial in fending off the Russians over the past three years. This is because, despite the reassurances from the Europeans, a NATO without the US wouldn’t be sufficient in supporting the Ukrainian war effort.
Ukraine hopes to present itself as the cooperative party and is seeking to find an ending resolution to the war. It hopes that a peace agreement would allow it to regain territory lost to the Russians, a way into NATO and an assurance against another Russian invasion.
It is unlikely that Russia would align with these demands. It has accused Ukraine of using the ceasefire to delay the war effort and rearm, which would delay an ‘imminent Russian victory’. Furthermore, it would be useful to note that Russia has already broken 25 ceasefire agreements in 11 years, so there are no assurances that it would stick to this one as well.
The ball is now in America’s court. Trump’s government may have to make a decision that favours one party over the other.
Elsewhere in the region: US expels South African Ambassador
The South African ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, has been expelled from the country, with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling him ‘a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates Trump’.
Rasool finds himself under the kosh following some of the remarks he made during an online lecture discussing the Trump administration.
The expulsion of low-ranking diplomats from the US is nothing new. However, it is quite rare for the United States to expel a high-ranking diplomat such as Rasool.
South Africa termed the decision as ‘regrettable’, stating that the country remains committed to maintaining strong relations with the United States through diplomatic channels.
In recent days, relations between the United States and South Africa have been on the rocks. It all started when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa passed a controversial land seizure bill into law on January 24, 2025. The bill seemed to have been particularly targeted at the small white minority population, which holds the vast majority of farmland in the country.
The bill came after years of land reform concerns dating back to the colonial and apartheid eras of the country, which disfavored black ownership of land. It aims to make land an equitable resource for all South Africans, regardless of race or economic background.
However, Trump’s administration took issue with the reform bill, stating that it was discriminatory against white South Africans. His sentiments were shared by Elon Musk, who is himself from a rich, white South African family. Trump then withheld all US funding to South Africa. South Africa insisted that it would not be coerced. In retaliation, Marco Rubio boycotted the G20 Foreign Ministers Summit which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Rasool is the latest casualty in what is turning out to be a tough diplomatic debacle for South Africa. He has until March 21 to vacate from the United States.
Trump’s administration also seems to be upping the ante on immigration into the country. It is now considering an expanded travel ban for 43 countries from around the world, with several African countries such as Somalia, Libya and Sudan part of that list.
During his first tenure, Trump instituted a similar ban which critics named the ‘Muslim Ban’ as it seemed to target countries with significant Muslim populations. Biden had repealed the ban in 2021 but Trump may well be on his way to bringing it back.
However, this current iteration of the ban is more expansive with countries such as North Korea, Vietnam and Bhutan included in the list alongside more ‘typical’ countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Cuba.
Finally, the African Union has rejected the formation of a parallel government in Sudan. The decision came following a meeting by the organization’s Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday, March 11.
On February 18, several political and military factions aligned to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed an agreement in Nairobi, Kenya to establish a parallel government against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)-led government. The move attracted widespread international condemnation for the RSF and its allies, as well as the Kenyan government.
The AU reaffirmed its commitment to Sudanese sovereignty, a unified Sudan and peace talks to ensure the end of violent conflict in the country.
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