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| William Ruto: Why Kenya's president attracts so many nicknames | William Ruto: Why Kenya's president attracts so many nicknames |
| (33 minutes later) | |
| Kenya's President William Ruto is a man of many nicknames. | Kenya's President William Ruto is a man of many nicknames. |
| Deputy Jesus, El Chapo, Hustler and Chicken Seller are just some that he has acquired in recent years. | Deputy Jesus, El Chapo, Hustler and Chicken Seller are just some that he has acquired in recent years. |
| As is often the case when people are given alternative monikers, some are affectionate but some are intended to mock, while others reflect a profound anger. | |
| A history of the president's aliases offer a window into how the perception of him has changed. | A history of the president's aliases offer a window into how the perception of him has changed. |
| Ruto has acknowledged the rechristening trend, joking recently that Kenyans are "finishing" him with the numerous labels. | Ruto has acknowledged the rechristening trend, joking recently that Kenyans are "finishing" him with the numerous labels. |
| "You have given me so many names. I had the name William Kipchirchir Samoei Ruto. You added Survivor… Zakayo... now you are at Kasongo [the title of a Congolese song about abandonment and heartbreak]. Will you stop at 10, or should I prepare for more?" he recently asked. | |
| The crowd, at a rally in the capital, Nairobi, responded that they had even more. | |
| Before he was elected president in 2022, Ruto attracted handles that bolstered his reputation as a man of the people. | Before he was elected president in 2022, Ruto attracted handles that bolstered his reputation as a man of the people. |
| Hustler - Kenyan parlance for someone eking out a living against the odds - helped portray him as someone who would prioritise the needs of the struggling folk. | Hustler - Kenyan parlance for someone eking out a living against the odds - helped portray him as someone who would prioritise the needs of the struggling folk. |
| Chicken Seller, referring to his childhood when he hawked poultry on the roadside, resonated with many who saw his life as an epitome of their own. | Chicken Seller, referring to his childhood when he hawked poultry on the roadside, resonated with many who saw his life as an epitome of their own. |
| "These were very positive [names]. They sold him to the public in terms of votes," political analyst Prof Herman Manyora told the BBC, arguing that they helped catapult him into the top job. | |
| "Names really stick with Ruto," he added. | "Names really stick with Ruto," he added. |
| Ruto gained a reputation among Kenyans struggling to get by that he understood their plight | Ruto gained a reputation among Kenyans struggling to get by that he understood their plight |
| But the president has been a high-profile figure in Kenyan politics for a long time, including serving as deputy president for nine years until 2022, and has never been far from controversy. | |
| Prof Manyora recalls the label Arap Mashamba – which translates as "son of farms" – coined just under a decade ago and relates to Ruto's ownership of vast tracts of land across the country. Concerns have been raised about how some of these have been acquired. | Prof Manyora recalls the label Arap Mashamba – which translates as "son of farms" – coined just under a decade ago and relates to Ruto's ownership of vast tracts of land across the country. Concerns have been raised about how some of these have been acquired. |
| In 2013, a court ordered Ruto to surrender a 100-acre (40-hectare) farm and compensate a farmer who had accused him of grabbing it during the 2007 post-election violence. He denied any wrongdoing. | In 2013, a court ordered Ruto to surrender a 100-acre (40-hectare) farm and compensate a farmer who had accused him of grabbing it during the 2007 post-election violence. He denied any wrongdoing. |
| Ruto's penchant for quoting Bible verses also earned him the Deputy Jesus tag. | Ruto's penchant for quoting Bible verses also earned him the Deputy Jesus tag. |
| However, it is since his rise to the presidency that the nickname manufacturers have been working overtime – with at least a dozen being created - and they have become increasingly critical. | However, it is since his rise to the presidency that the nickname manufacturers have been working overtime – with at least a dozen being created - and they have become increasingly critical. |
| One that has stood out is Zakayo - Swahili for the name Zaccheaus, a Biblical figure who is portrayed as a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. | One that has stood out is Zakayo - Swahili for the name Zaccheaus, a Biblical figure who is portrayed as a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. |
| The ‘tax collector’ president sparking Kenyan anger | The ‘tax collector’ president sparking Kenyan anger |
| BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters | BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters |
| Ruto's government introduced a raft of unpopular taxes and many Kenyans began to say that he had betrayed the "hustlers". | Ruto's government introduced a raft of unpopular taxes and many Kenyans began to say that he had betrayed the "hustlers". |
| "He failed to deliver after becoming president," Prof Manyora said. | "He failed to deliver after becoming president," Prof Manyora said. |
| The pain of paying more taxes, and a perception that the extra money will be wasted, is the focus of many conversations. | |
| Last year, young people came out onto the streets of Nairobi for weeks of protests, which turned deadly, against a fresh government proposal to raise taxes that was later dropped. | Last year, young people came out onto the streets of Nairobi for weeks of protests, which turned deadly, against a fresh government proposal to raise taxes that was later dropped. |
| Last year's anti-tax protests galvanised young people angry at the government over the state of the economy | Last year's anti-tax protests galvanised young people angry at the government over the state of the economy |
| The chant "Ruto must go" became a rallying call for the demonstrators and now Must Go has become another way to refer to the leader. | The chant "Ruto must go" became a rallying call for the demonstrators and now Must Go has become another way to refer to the leader. |
| The creative christeners have also focussed on the allegation that the president enjoys foreign travel. | The creative christeners have also focussed on the allegation that the president enjoys foreign travel. |
| Hence the title Vasco da Ganya – a play on the name of the 15th Century Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, and the Swahili word danganya, which means "to lie". | Hence the title Vasco da Ganya – a play on the name of the 15th Century Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, and the Swahili word danganya, which means "to lie". |
| Africa's 'flying presidents' under fire | Africa's 'flying presidents' under fire |
| Ruto's honesty has also been called into question with Kaunda Uongoman, which mimics late Congolese musician Kanda Bongoman. | Ruto's honesty has also been called into question with Kaunda Uongoman, which mimics late Congolese musician Kanda Bongoman. |
| The first part refers to the president's love for the Kaunda suit - a safari jacket with matching trousers – and Uongoman, which incorporates the Swahili word uongo, meaning "lies". | The first part refers to the president's love for the Kaunda suit - a safari jacket with matching trousers – and Uongoman, which incorporates the Swahili word uongo, meaning "lies". |
| But the president seems impervious to this volley of verbal attacks. | But the president seems impervious to this volley of verbal attacks. |
| Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the manifold nicknames "don't raise concerns" in the office of the president but simply "capture how people view a person". | Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the manifold nicknames "don't raise concerns" in the office of the president but simply "capture how people view a person". |
| Ruto is "very hands-on and doing his best to transform the economy... It's normal for any leader to have many nicknames as this signifies his various attributes and initiatives as a leader", he told the BBC. | |
| Mwaura also argued that the government has had to raise taxes to pay for new projects, reduce the budget deficit and fix the economy. | |
| Nevertheless, when people have gone beyond inventing new names and used satire and forms of art to ridicule the president, there has been a negative reaction from officials. | Nevertheless, when people have gone beyond inventing new names and used satire and forms of art to ridicule the president, there has been a negative reaction from officials. |
| Some cartoons and AI-generated images, including showing the president in a casket, have been described as "reckless" and "distasteful". | Some cartoons and AI-generated images, including showing the president in a casket, have been described as "reckless" and "distasteful". |
| Some of the alleged producers of this online content have been victims of abductions. This, Prof Manyora said, should be seen as a sign of intolerance by the government. | |
| Lachon Kiplimo, a 23-year-old university student, said that while he supported the president, some of the promises he has made have been "unrealistic", which fuels the nicknames. | |
| He cited the use of El Chapo, referring to the former Mexican drug lord, after Ruto promised a machine that would produce a million chapatis (also known as chapo in Kenya) every day to feed schoolchildren in the capital. | He cited the use of El Chapo, referring to the former Mexican drug lord, after Ruto promised a machine that would produce a million chapatis (also known as chapo in Kenya) every day to feed schoolchildren in the capital. |
| A chapati - a popular street food in Kenya - is also known as a chapo | A chapati - a popular street food in Kenya - is also known as a chapo |
| Mr Kiplimo however reckons that the way the president brushes off the monikers, and in fact seems to embrace them, shows how strong he is. | Mr Kiplimo however reckons that the way the president brushes off the monikers, and in fact seems to embrace them, shows how strong he is. |
| Prof Manyora believes the young people who come up with the alternative labels for the president do it as a form of catharsis, a way of releasing tension. | Prof Manyora believes the young people who come up with the alternative labels for the president do it as a form of catharsis, a way of releasing tension. |
| This view is backed up by 24-year-old student Margaret Wairimu Kahura, who said that many Kenyans "are in a lot of pain". | This view is backed up by 24-year-old student Margaret Wairimu Kahura, who said that many Kenyans "are in a lot of pain". |
| She feels that the mockery is a way of letting Ruto know how the youth are feeling. | She feels that the mockery is a way of letting Ruto know how the youth are feeling. |
| She says that no other Kenyan president has been subjected to this level of lampooning, and "so this is unique [but] in a bad way". | She says that no other Kenyan president has been subjected to this level of lampooning, and "so this is unique [but] in a bad way". |
| It is true that previous heads of state had nicknames but they have not been so numerous. | |
| The last President, Uhuru Kenyatta, was called Kamwana ("young boy"), Jayden (a Kenyan reference to a pampered or lazy child) and Wamashati (for his love of print shirts). | The last President, Uhuru Kenyatta, was called Kamwana ("young boy"), Jayden (a Kenyan reference to a pampered or lazy child) and Wamashati (for his love of print shirts). |
| His predecessor, Mwai Kibaki, was known as General Kiguoya (a general who is afraid) and Fence Sitter. | His predecessor, Mwai Kibaki, was known as General Kiguoya (a general who is afraid) and Fence Sitter. |
| Perhaps the age of social media, with its insatiable appetite for new content to keep people amused, has increased the trend towards name calling. | |
| But for many, like Ms Kahura, the volume of nicknames for Ruto are a genuine reflection of "the different problems that people are facing". | But for many, like Ms Kahura, the volume of nicknames for Ruto are a genuine reflection of "the different problems that people are facing". |
| You may also be interested in: | You may also be interested in: |
| How Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churches | How Kenya's evangelical president has fallen out with churches |
| Kenyan president's humbling shows power of African youth | Kenyan president's humbling shows power of African youth |
| Protesters set fire to Kenya's parliament - but also saved two MPs | Protesters set fire to Kenya's parliament - but also saved two MPs |
| Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. | Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. |
| Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica | Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica |