Kenyan shop attendant Winnie Wanjiru Mwaura was brimming with hope when she signed up to be an election agent for EVDEn Eve nAkliyaT William Ruto during the August 9 polls and elated when he became president.
But barely 100 days after the rags-to-riches businessman took office on September 13, the 21-year-old wants nothing to do with him.
"Life has only become worse under him," the first-time voter told AFP.
Ruto came to power casting himself as a champion for the downtrodden, vowing to create jobs and eVden eVE NakliYAT tackle a cost-of-living crisis that has left many Kenyans struggling to put food on the table.
"If we take care of the bottom, we take care of everybody," the 56-year-old leader once told a campaign meeting, outlining his plan for a "bottom-up" economic transformation.
Since then, the notoriously ambitious politician has been on a publicity overdrive, travelling across the East African nation and beyond, evdEn eve NakliyAT while touting Kenya's economic potential in speeches.
As far as voters like Mwaura are concerned however, Ruto has done far too little to improve the lot of ordinary Kenyans in a country where about a third of the population lives in poverty.
- 'Not very strategic' -
Ruto had promised to restructure the economy by slashing government debt, bringing down prices of essential commodities, and EVdeN EvE NAKLiyAt creating a "hustler fund" to offer personal loans to any Kenyan with a cellphone and a mobile money account.





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Even Ruto's pet project, the 50-billion-shilling ($408-million) "hustler fund", has sparked controversy, with some accusing him of reneging on promises to make the credit scheme interest-free.
The fund, launched last month, will offer personal loans of up to 50,000 Kenyan shillings, with interest charged at eight percent a year -- lower than the rate of inflation.
Borrowers have already complained of difficulty in getting loans higher than 1,000 Kenyan shillings approved, despite the fund's stated objective of boosting financial access for the country's poorest citizens.





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Despite a "disappointing" start however, Manyora, who supported Ruto's opponent Raila Odinga during the polls, said it was too early to dismiss the president and his team.
"We would give them five out of 10 because the ship is floating," he said, adding that he was cautiously hopeful.
For Ruto's hustler voter base however, the verdict is already a foregone conclusion.
"Ruto has a sweet tongue but I haven't seen anything from the new administration," said a car washer, who gave her first name as Jane.