A self-described hustler from humble beginnings, he ran on a “bottom-up” platform promising jobs for the youth, small-business loans, and lower living costs. On the wall hangs a memorial poster of her 25-year-old son Ericsson, killed in last year’s protests. Yet none of the three young men killed at parliament that day were armed or connected to criminal networks. According to KHRC’s Cornel, Ruto’s administration has shown “sheer brazenness” in police excesses, with top officials openly endorsing deadly force. “He told me he was very sorry for what happened to my son,” Onyango recounts.