Ruto wants to offload 15 percent of government-owned Safaricom shares to Vodafone for around Sh240.5 billion to fund his National Sovereign Fund and infrastructure plans, but opposition leaders like Rigathi Gachagua and Kalonzo Musyoka are losing it over the move. Even some Kenya Kwanza lawmakers like Ndindi Nyoro and Peter Salasya, plus ODM-aligned reps are calling out the sale for being shady and undervalued.
The backlash mirrors what happened with the Kenya Pipeline Company when the High Court had to block privatization after people screamed about transparency issues and potential corruption. Ruto tried selling KPC anyway and even told Uganda they could grab a stake while Kenya divests 65 percent, which only made critics angrier.
Political analysts reckon the opposition wants to kill these deals to stop Ruto from bankrolling projects that could boost his 2027 campaign. The whole mess plays into trust issues since the administration already dumped the Adani airport takeover after graft allegations surfaced, and critics warn the country will end up stripped of assets if this keeps going.
The backlash mirrors what happened with the Kenya Pipeline Company when the High Court had to block privatization after people screamed about transparency issues and potential corruption. Ruto tried selling KPC anyway and even told Uganda they could grab a stake while Kenya divests 65 percent, which only made critics angrier.
Political analysts reckon the opposition wants to kill these deals to stop Ruto from bankrolling projects that could boost his 2027 campaign. The whole mess plays into trust issues since the administration already dumped the Adani airport takeover after graft allegations surfaced, and critics warn the country will end up stripped of assets if this keeps going.
