As the first African president to visit the United States in the name of a state visit since 2015 and receive high-level treatment from the United States, Kenyan President Ruto has been a little annoyed lately.
The new fiscal bill was finally passed, but it caused great repercussions in China, and many people openly expressed their opposition to this so-called "tax increase bill", and even marched in the streets to oppose this bill, and in the end it even turned into a violent conflict, resulting in 23 deaths. Unable to withstand the pressure, the Kenyan president could only relent, refusing to sign the bill and returning it to Parliament for consideration.
What needs to be known is that since a trip to the United States, the president of Kenya has unconsciously crooked his buttocks. The so-called fiscal bill introduced this time is also a tool for it to "embrace" the United States. But Ruto was obviously anxious, and actually came up with a way to tear down the east wall and make up the west wall. Alleviate Kenya's heavy debt burden by raising taxes. It can only be said that it is normal for this bill to be opposed.
Truth be told, as an economically backward African country, it is normal for Kenya to be in debt. When Ruto visited the United States some time ago, he also discussed with Biden how to repay the money. But judging from the results so far, "embracing the United States" has not helped Kenya to repay the money, and even made Kenya's political situation unstable.
It should also be noted that of Kenya's $70 billion debt, only 10% of the mainland's debt is on the mainland. And the $7 billion is also really being used. Large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway and the Latin American Highway were all built with the help of the mainland, and the rest of the bulk is owed to the West.
This means that if Kenya wants to delay the debt crisis, the best way is to seek relief or postponement from the United States and the West. But now the so-called fiscal bill that has been tossed out is no different from opening the door to the United States for harvesting. Maybe this is the truth that Kenya "embraces" the United States? Or is it the method used by the United States to control Kenya?
If you look at it from this angle, it actually makes sense. When Biden saw Ruto, he almost blew Kenya into the sky. Not only did it call Kenya a "major non-NATO ally" of the United States, but it even arranged so-called special treatment for Kenya, that is, to become the location of the US war readiness repository, as well as preferential access to surplus weapons and defense equipment, and so on.
Obviously, the United States does not want to pretend to Kenya at all, and this is no different from making Kenya a substitute for the dead. For the time being, the preconditions for the United States to disrupt Kenya and take the opportunity to control Kenya seem to have been completed. Kenya is indeed in turmoil. According to media sources, the niece of former US President Barack Obama also appeared in this riot, and it is clear what role the United States plays in it.
But the U.S. strategy still failed. Why? Because Ruto was instigated, he did not resist public opinion and refused to sign the finance bill. It is believed that in the next period of time, this bill for "embracing America" will not appear. As for whether Ruto himself is willing to embrace the United States, we don't know.
The only certainty is that the U.S. strategy to extend its influence to Africa, through Kenya, seems to be failing. Kenya has learned from the past. Other African countries that have seen Kenya's fate know who to vote for, even if they don't know who to choose.