In late February 2022, President William Ruto, then Deputy President, teased a crowd of his supporters about whether they would let politicians “in Nairobi hotels” decide how they would vote.

“Mûrî andû a kûbangwo?” Dr Ruto posed in Kikuyu, which loosely translates to: “Are you easily controlled?”

The response was an emphatic No, with the masses chanting Ruto’s campaign slogan Hatupangwingwi (We cannot be controlled). At the time, Ruto was guilty of the crime he was accusing his opponents of committing.