NAIROBI, KENYA — During a recent public address in Lang’ata, marking the fourth day of his Nairobi development tour, President William Ruto addressed the trend of evolving public nicknames attributed to him.
With a lighthearted tone, the President remarked that the consistent creation of new aliases could lead to an overwhelming number of monikers. He referenced the progression from “Hustler” and “Survivor” to more recent appellations such as “Zakayo” and “Kasongo.”
President Ruto engaged the audience, rhetorically questioning how many additional names they intended to bestow upon him, thereby highlighting his awareness and playful concern regarding the public’s evolving perception.
Ndugu zangu wa Nairobi, wacha niwaulize? si mtaniua na majina. Mlianza uko mkasema Hustler alafu mkasema Survivor, mkaenda ingine Zakayo, sasa naksia mmefika Kasongo. Majina mtaongeza mpaka ifike ngapi? Bado mtaongeza ama imetosha? Mna maneno. Mnataka majina yangu ifike kumi?”
President Ruto posed.
This loosely translates to, “My brothers and sisters of Nairobi, aren’t you going to kill me with names. You started by calling me hustler, then survivor, now you have named me Zakayo, now I hear you’ve reached Kasongo. How many more names will you add? Do you want my names to reach ten?.”
During his tenure as Deputy President from 2013 to 2022, William Ruto cultivated the image of a “hustler,” referencing his humble beginnings as a chicken seller and his subsequent rise in Kenyan politics.
His victory in the 2022 presidential election, achieved despite significant opposition, led to the nickname “survivor.”
Following his presidency, the implementation of new taxes, including the contentious housing levy, prompted many Kenyans to refer to him as “Zakayo,” the Swahili equivalent of Zacchaeus, the biblical tax collector.
The more recent nickname “Kasongo” originates from a popular Orchestra Super Mazembe song, which has become a viral meme used to express public discontent with the current state of affairs.
