Christina Shusho, one of East Africa’s most popular gospel musicians, has caused a stir in Kenya after she released a teaser of her new song titled Zakayo.
In Swahili, Shusho sings; “There was a man named Zakayo, the chief of tax collectors and a wealthy man.
He sought to see what kind of person Jesus was.”
Some people in Kenya, where the Tanzanian singer has a mass following, playfully speculated that the song could be about President William Ruto.
Some Kenyans mockingly refer to him as Zakayo - Swahili for the biblical figure Zacchaeus, who is portrayed in the Bible s a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus.
Ruto earned the Zakayo nickname because of the raft of new, some very punitive taxes his government imposed, while raising old ones.
The taxes have made him unpopular with many Kenyans who believe he has betrayed his campaign promise to champion the interests of those who struggle financially.
President Ruto had in February this year maintained that he will not be deterred from his commitment to bettering the country despite facing criticism for his revenue-raising methods, leading to the “Zakayo” nickname.
Speaking in Tokyo, the Head of State noted that he doesn’t mind the nicknames he has been branded as long as the country doesn’t sink into debt.
According to Ruto, whatever method he implores to collect revenues from citizens is right and his conscious is clean.
He said he would continue doing what he has always done as it is best for the people of Kenya.
“I don’t mind being called names such as ‘Zakayo’ because when you’re doing the right thing, your conscience is clear. I will continue to do the right thing for our country irrespective of the names people call me, including Zakayo,” Ruto declared.
President Ruto emphasized that his decisions are aimed at ensuring Kenya’s prosperity and avoiding excessive debt.
He asserted that the country’s development should be driven by its resources, rather than relying on external aid or accumulating debt.
“Our country will not be developed by others. Our country will not be developed by aid. Our country will not be developed by debt. Our country will be developed by us (Kenyans) using our revenues and taxes,” he affirmed.
The name Zakayo surfaced on social platforms in May 2023 over his tax drives aimed at collecting more taxes from Kenyans.
The Head of State addressed his new given name noting that he didn’t mind it.
Ruto was responding to KRA staff members who asked for a tax collectors’ day to be held at the State House.
“Since I have already been referred to as Zakayo in some areas, maybe we will have a tax collectors day, that’s a good proposal and I will consider it,” Ruto said.
Zakayo, the Swahili version of Zacchaeus, is a Biblical character who was a chief tax collector living in Jericho during the reign of the Roman Empire as the world’s superpower.
