President William Ruto has played down the alleged nickname "Zakayo," stating that as long as Kenyans keep paying their taxes, he won't be bothered by it.
Speaking on Wednesday at the 59th International Labour Day celebrations in Nairobi's Uhuru Gardens, Ruto reaffirmed that he was aware of the moniker Kenyans gave him on social media but instead urged people to be consistent in making their tax payments.
The President contended that the country's economy could only advance if it was able to support itself through tax collection and did not rely on outside loans to finance initiatives.
Therefore, he asked Kenyans to prepare themselves to faithfully remit their dues and accept the seemingly harsh methods of his administration.
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“Kuitwa Zakayo si shida, bora tulipe ushuru tunaweza kusonga mbele; Zakayo ni jina tu, there is no problem. Bora tujenge Kenya hii na watu wapate manyumba, tuwe na Universal Health Coverage and our youths secure employement, Zakayo ni jina, let’s move forward, no problem,” Ruto said.
“We will be lying to ourselves, we have lied to ourselves for a very long time that a country can be developed through loans from other countries. It is not possible!”
He added, “I have to be brutally honest to my fellow citizens that we must face reality and build our country with our energy, knowledge, talent, effort, plan, and taxes.”
The term "Zakayo," derived from the Biblical tax collector Zacchaeus, was coined by netizens in response to the numerous taxes imposed by the current government.
At the time, President Ruto said he was aware of the name and promised to use it in accordance with its origin.
He maintained that imposing taxes on Kenyans was “the right thing,” adding that they are a "painful" but worthy sacrifice on the road to a country's long-term development.
