KDRTV News Helsinki Finland- In Kenya’s long and winding political journey, Daniel arap Moi’s rule remains a painful reminder of how quickly democracy can be strangled when power goes unchecked. For 24 years, Moi ruled through fear, patronage, and repression.
While Kenya today enjoys the trappings of democracy, elections, independent commissions, and a vocal Gen-z
,beneath the surface, the script is changing. A culture of authoritarianism is quietly taking root, dressed in the language of “hustler empowerment” and “economic transformation.” But Kenyans are not fooled. They see the signs. They hear the echoes.
The Silencing of Dissent
The recent incident at Butere Girls High School is a chilling case in point. courageous students attempted to use their talent to perform a poem that held power to account, highlighting the daily struggles of Kenyans, the lies told in political rallies, and the widening gap between government promises and lived reality. Instead of applause, there was punishment. The supervising teacher was transferred. The students were reportedly intimidated, and tear gas thrown at young pupils . Why? For speaking truth in a nation that claims to value freedom of expression.
This mirrors the Moi era, when criticism was equated with treason. During Moi’s time, journalists disappeared, student leaders were detained, and any form of dissent was crushed under the weight of state machinery. Ruto’s regime may not yet be throwing critics into Nyayo House torture chambers, but it’s deploying the instruments of state power in equally chilling ways: economic intimidation, selective arrests, digital surveillance, and public smears. A softer, smarter dictatorship is still a dictatorship. President Moi also banned a play by Ngugi wa Thiong’o and a book by George Orwell in 1991.
The Rot of Corruption
Kenya has long been plagued by corruption, but what makes the current moment especially galling is the scale of impunity and the sheer audacity of the lies. From the very beginning of Ruto’s presidency, lofty promises were made, reducing the cost of living, eradicating corruption, and building a bottom-up economy. But instead of uplifting the hustler, the system seems to be bleeding the country dry.
Billion-shilling scandals have rocked the administration, from questionable fertilizer tenders to opaque government-to-government oil deals. Instead of accountability, we’re treated to PR spin, denials, and the occasional sacrificial lamb. The Kenya Kwanza government promised transparency, yet its biggest financial dealings are shrouded in secrecy. No meaningful prosecutions have been achieved. The President, meanwhile, continues to defend those accused of graft as long as they are politically loyal.
It is Moi’s playbook all over again: protect your friends, punish your enemies, and treat public resources as political tools.
Privatization Without Accountability
One of the most disturbing trends under Ruto is the renewed push to privatize key public institutions often at throwaway prices and without public consultation. Parliament was recently bypassed in attempts to fast-track the sale of several profitable state-owned enterprises, including Kenya Pipeline and KICC. These assets, built with public funds, risk being transferred into private hands under the guise of “efficiency.”
Under Moi, similar actions saw entire sectors like banking, agriculture, and transport brought to their knees through corrupt privatization deals. Public institutions were looted, sold for peanuts, or left to collapse. Today, it feels like déjà vu, except this time the looters wear sharper suits and use digital signatures instead of rubber stamps.
A Presidency Built on Lies
Kenya is quickly becoming a country where truth is optional. From the campaign trail to national addresses, President Ruto has made an art of contradiction. He promised to lower fuel prices then they doubled. He vowed to scrap the Housing Levy then implemented it. He claimed the Hustler Fund would transform lives, yet many beneficiaries struggle with micro-loans that barely cover airtime. The President travels the country making promise after promise, most of which evaporate the moment the motorcade drives off.
This isn’t just politics as usual. It’s a sustained campaign of misinformation, used to pacify a restless public while the real business of state capture and self-enrichment continues behind the curtain. Again, Moi did the same: long-winded speeches, empty pledges, and a state media that turned propaganda into national gospel.
The Danger of Normalization
What makes authoritarianism so dangerous is not just its cruelty, it’s how quickly it becomes normal. When the silencing of a schoolgirl becomes routine, when billion-shilling scandals are met with shrugs, when public assets are sold in silence, and when presidential lies become background noise, we are no longer just witnessing the decline of a government. We are watching the slow erosion of a republic.
Kenya cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the Moi era. We must remember that dictatorships rarely begin with coups,they start with excuses. “We must be tough.” “We need order.” “It’s for development.” And before long, we are told to stop asking questions and simply clap.
But Kenya is not yet lost. Brave citizens, keyboard soldiers and bold students like the one at Butere Girls still speak. And as long as they do, there is hope.
