Farah Maalim: Ruto’s exit will be decided by elections, not protests
Dadaab Member of Parliament Farah Maalim has thrust himself into the raging national discourse on government criticism, asserting that President William Ruto’s mandate was secured through the ballot and can only be revoked the same way, dismissing any calls for alternative means of ousting the head of state.
Taking to his X account on Monday, March 31, 2025, Maalim emphasised that regardless of the prevailing political climate, Ruto’s tenure is bound by the electoral cycle, cautioning against any actions that could lead to chaos or social anarchy.
According to him, while frustrations may be mounting in certain quarters, the only legitimate path to leadership change is through a constitutional election, which is scheduled to take place in 2027.
‘Take your pick. ‘Ruto came through an election and will only go through an election/term limit,’ he posted.
Political intellect
Maalim, while making his position clear, further highlighted what he described as a stark contrast in political intellect between Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former DP Rigathi Gachagua on one side and the likes of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Charles Kahariri and National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director-General Noordin Haji on the other.
He suggested that the latter duo were more informed and grounded in matters of statecraft, going as far as to state that while dictatorship might not be ideal, it is preferable to social disorder, implying that stability should take precedence over political disagreements.
‘This is basic statecraft in a nutshell. Kudos, Kahariri, for being an informed/educated patriot. It’s safer to have a dictator in control than social anarchy or chaos. See the difference in intellect between Kahariri/Noordin on the one hand and Uhuru/Gachagua on the other. The choices are waiting for 2.5 years for the next election or turning Kenya into another DRC, Somalia, or Sudan,’ he added.
Kahariri’s remarks
His sentiments come just days after CDF Kahariri went viral for making warnings regarding the ongoing anti-government protests.
Kahariri, while speaking during a public lecture by NIS boss Noordin Haji at the National Intelligence and Research University in Nairobi on Thursday, March 27, 2025, had underscored the importance of patriotism, asserting that Kenyans must prioritise their love for the country above all else to prevent anarchy.
That was when he reiterated that while every citizen has a right to express themselves, expressions like ‘Ruto must go’ must remain within constitutional confines.
“Unless we love our country first, we will soon have no country, and if there is no spare, we cannot have anarchy in the country,” Kahariri stated.
The Chief of Defence Forces specifically pointed out that any deviation from constitutional processes while hurling the anti-government slogans would be tantamount to an attempt to subvert democracy, which the military would not stand by and watch happen under any circumstances.
“So when people decide that they are tired of this government and you choose it yourself, and then you say, ‘Must go, must go,’ that ‘must go’ must be done according to the constitution,” Kahariri stated.
In defence of Kahariri’s comments, Homa Bay Town MP George Kaluma took to his X account on March 29, 2025, lauding the CDF’s message as an educative and necessary reminder to Kenyans about the role of the military in upholding constitutional order.
He stated that the Kenyan military’s primary duty is to protect the Republic and the constitution, not to interfere in politics, asserting that the CDF had merely restated this responsibility in a manner that should be viewed as informative rather than threatening.
“The military exists to protect the Constitution and the Republic. This was a very good, sober, highly educative message from Kenya’s CDF,” the legislator stated.
KHRC defends Kenyans
However, Kaluma’s stance was not universally welcomed, as civil society organisations and political figures came out strongly against Kahariri’s remarks, with the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) releasing a statement on March 28, 2025, categorising their comments as a direct assault on the constitutional rights of Kenyans.
The commission argued that no authority, whether military, intelligence, or executive, has the right to override the will of the people, citing Article 1 of the Constitution, which explicitly states that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya.
KHRC went further to accuse the NIS and KDF of overstepping their mandates, stating that their warnings regarding the ‘Ruto Must Go’ campaign were not only unconstitutional but also hypocritical, as these institutions have failed to uphold the very principles they were accusing Kenyans of violating.
“The warning by Chief of Defence Forces Charles Kahariri and National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Haji against the ‘Ruto Must Go’ slogan is an outright assault on Kenyans’ constitutional rights. No authority—military, intelligence, or executive—can override the sovereignty of the people,” the rights body stated.
