The Rally Economy: How Kenya’s Leaders Keep Us Cheering While We Struggle

By Robert Mutasi -  In Kenya, politics is a travelling circus. From dusty rural grounds to packed city stadiums, leaders crisscross the country promising change, but often leaving behind empty wallets, broken trust, and rising tempers.

Rallies have become our default mode of governance, but their cost, financial and social,  is crippling. Behind the cheering crowds and colourful banners is a country losing more than it gains.

Bigger Projects, Bigger Gaps

Mass mobilization has been part of Kenyan politics since independence. Tribal loyalties and populist promises have always been key to winning and keeping power.

By the run-up to the 2013 general election, the price tag for such campaigns had ballooned. Media reports alleged that Uhuru Kenyatta and rivals spent over Ksh 15 million weekly on rallies, covering fuel, air tickets, hotel stays, handouts to legislators, and even “entertainment fees.”

Once in power, President Kenyatta banked on high-profile infrastructure to cement his legacy. Under the Big Four Agenda, food security, affordable housing, healthcare, and manufacturing, he rolled out megaprojects like: 

Standard Gauge Railway (Nairobi–Mombasa), Nairobi Expressway (cutting airport commute from 2 hours to 25 minutes). Electricity access jump from 30% to 75% of households

The GDP grew from Sh4.7 trillion to Sh11 trillion, and road mileage surged. But for many Kenyans, daily life barely changed, agriculture lagged, inequality widened, and corruption thrived.

Kenya’s Rally & Protest Economy – At a Glance

Ksh 15 million – estimated weekly cost of major campaign rallies before the 2013 election.

Ksh 3 billion – daily economic losses during 2024 protests.

46.8 – PMI index in July 2025, signalling sharp private-sector contraction.

80% – share of Kenya’s economy in the informal sector.

30% → 75% – rise in household electricity access during Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidency.

Dozens killed – during June 25, 2024, Parliament protest crackdown.

The Hustler Promise and Its Cracks

In 2022, William Ruto rode into power as the self-proclaimed Hustler-in-Chief, promising to lift the informal working class and end political dynasties’ “state capture.”

His bottom-up pitch energized millennials and Gen Z. But in office, promised solutions fell short: Hustler Fund failed to deliver widespread change. Affordable housing scheme, funded by a 1.5% salary deduction, allegedly favoured elites.

Taxes rose: a 2.75% SHI levy, higher NSSF contributions, and other deductions ate into paychecks. Disillusionment grew.

Political gatherings,  whether government or opposition,  increasingly turn volatile.

During UDA tours in Bomet and Kericho, crowds heckled and even stoned leaders. Meanwhile, opposition-aligned protests like #RutoMustGo and #RejectFinanceBill swelled both online and offline.

On June 25, 2024, protesters stormed Parliament over the Finance Bill. Police opened fire, killing dozens. Though Ruto withdrew the bill, unrest spread.

The economic toll was staggering: Ksh 3 billion lost daily during protests. Small traders, boda boda riders, and informal workers saw incomes vanish

Fitch downgraded Kenya’s outlook, and private sector activity shrank, PMI dropped to 46.8 by July 2025

Kenya’s youngest voters became the face of resistance online and in the streets. They mobilized through Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, pushing hashtags into global trends.

But the cost was high. Reports of abductions, torture, and deaths, including activist-blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody exposed a hardening state response.

One heartbreaking story told by The Washington Post captured the tragedy: two childhood friends, one a protester, the other a paid “goon”  bleeding on opposite sides of the same political battle.

For ordinary Kenyans, the rally–protest cycle is exhausting. Business closures, transport chaos, and higher living costs mean families cut back on food, healthcare, and schooling.

And politics? Less about solutions, more about showmanship. Ethnic undertones often drown out real debate on jobs, healthcare, and food security. Trust in institutions erodes with every unkept promise and corruption scandal.

Kenya’s obsession with political gatherings is choking its economy and deepening divisions. Megaprojects may grab headlines, but without strong institutions, fiscal discipline, and genuine social safety nets, they’re just glittering over cracks.

We need leadership that invests in policies, not endless rallies. Leaders must stop using crowds as substitutes for governance and focus on lowering living costs, creating jobs, and restoring trust.

Kenya will only thrive when the hustler on the street, not the politician on the podium, becomes the centre of our national agenda.