Kenyan president tries to quell anger using social media

Kenya's President William Ruto made history as the first head of state in the country to come face to face with his citizens on social media, fielding unfiltered questions about his government's inadequacies and ills, following weeks of nationwide protests sparked by a controversial financial bill.

At a meeting hosted on social media X attended by more than 1 million Kenyans on Friday, Ruto took the opportunity to field tough questions from furious anti-tax protesters, and apologized for police brutality witnessed during recent protests and the alleged abductions of organizers.

Ruto was forced to withdraw the controversial finance bill late last month because of the demonstrations that rocked Kenya. Last week, he also announced a budget cut to seal the budget hole left after the withdrawal of the finance bill.

The protests were organized online through social media platforms such as the X Spaces, a feature that allows users to host live audio conversations. The protesters called for rejection of the bill that would impose additional taxes on a wide range of commodities, and denounced corrupt officials.

Pledging to do more

In Ruto's X Spaces session he pledged to sack all officials implicated in corruption, saying: "I agree some of our officials display obnoxious opulence, and I have called them personally and advised them how to conduct themselves. I will do more."

Ruto defended many of his government's policies, saying a lot of them had been misunderstood and had been intended to boost Kenyan businesses.

He said he had learned much during the online engagement and hoped to have more such interactions. In particular, he said it had taught him that he needed to show more empathy for the plight of his fellow citizens.

Some X users voiced their opinions and asked questions, which he promptly answered.

"My administration has always believed in listening and engaging, and that is why I go around the country to engage people," Ruto said. "I rarely sit in the office. I go to different places to engage with Kenyans."