Young senator is rising challenger to Ruto

Senator Edwin Sifuna (44) has emerged as a rising challenger to Kenya's President William Ruto ahead of next year's election as he channels anger over political violence and corruption, reports africanews. Kenya goes to the polls in August 2027 and a clear candidate has yet to emerge from a busy opposition playing field. Many Kenyans are furious at the entrenched corruption under Ruto, and the extreme violence used against any hint of protest, including more than 100 deaths and dozens of abductions blamed on security forces in the past two years. Sifuna earned goodwill among Kenya's young ‘Gen-Z’ voters when he actively sought to stop police violence during the biggest protests in June 2024. Now, the former lawyer is drawing huge crowds as he tours the country, including in the capital Nairobi on Sunday, though he has yet to officially declare a run for the presidency. So far, his message has been almost entirely focused on criticising Ruto, who he accuses of overseeing a culture of ‘impunity’. Sifuna's popularity has made him a target. Rallies have been violently disrupted by gangs of young thugs – a common tactic used by all sides of the political spectrum in Kenya. Sifuna's eager young team say they are receiving small donations from ordinary citizens – almost unheard-of in Kenyan politics. His opponents say the real money is coming from former President Uhuru Kenyatta, an ally-turned-rival of Ruto. Sifuna denied he was anyone's puppet, and said the 2024 protests ‘fundamentally changed’ Kenyan politics as young people mobilised around economic and political issues, rather than ethnic divides and the power of old money.

Full africanews report