Kenya: President Ruto Says Protests About Elections, Not Cost Of Living

President William Ruto has maintained that the weekly demonstrations called by Opposition leader Raila Odinga have nothing to do with the cost of living but the 2022 presidential election outcome.

During an interview with Germany's Deutsche Welle (DW), President Ruto charged Odinga with wanting to use protests to gain an unconstitutional portion of the government.

“The riots in Nairobi are not so much about the cost of living.

"It is so much about some election results which are a settled matter but because the cost of living is a pregnant issue; it is an emotive issue, our competitors are trying to take advantage but I think the people of Kenya are a lot wiser,” President Ruto said.

The veteran lawmaker has called for regular demonstrations on Mondays and Thursdays, blaming President Ruto for stealing the election last year and failing to control the rising cost of living.

“The opposition is asking for some discussions about an election that was held some six months ago.

"An election that was given a clean bill of health by the EU, AU and all observers. 

"An election that was witnessed by international and local observers.

"That conversation is a conversation outside the Constitution,” Ruto said.

The Head of State, on the other hand, stated that his administration is dedicated to tackling the issues of high living costs.

“We have had to rethink about our agriculture how do we do things differently so that we avoid dependency on the global supply chain of these commodities because we have had challenges accessing fertilizer and grain,” said Ruto.

President William Ruto is currently away on an official visit to Germany and Belgium. 

On Monday, protesters ignored a caution from Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome that the protests in Nairobi and Odinga's stronghold of Kisumu were "illegal."

Since the demonstrations began last week, at least four people have been murdered, and property worth millions of dollars have been destroyed.