A ‘good’ dictator is appealing but cost is too high

“Would you trade your freedom for speed and efficiency?” Last week, President Ruto said, “Countries that have succeeded have done so because they are a dictatorship. Once the leader decides, you cannot say no or question.”

On the surface, the argument seems simple: a single leader, unopposed, can act decisively. But history and regional experience suggest a more complicated reality that Kenya cannot ignore. Authoritarianism thrives not only through force but also by weakening institutions, silencing dissent, and controlling information. Autocracies now outnumber liberal democracies worldwide.

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