Ruto, Money, and the Kenyan Economy

Perhaps the title may surprise many, but it is not a coincidence, given the realities of
interactions among governments, money, and the economy. Ruto’s 2022 presidential
campaign in Kenya was marred by interventionist policies, such as the Hustler Fund, which
promised rapid disbursement of microloans at lower interest rates to millions of small
traders, boda-boda operators, and informal-sector participants via mobile money. This was
paired with pledges to disburse tens of billions of shillings annually to SMEs, double school
feeding allocations, accelerate affordable housing (hundreds of thousands of units yearly),
and sharply reduce the cost of living by reviewing fuel taxes and easing other burdens on
the masses.