In the shadows of global power plays, a meticulously crafted script is unfolding, one that seeks to keep Kenya tethered to the chains of colonial subjugation while its people are lulled into distraction. On April 3, 2025, U.S. General Michael Langley, head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), stood before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, delivering a testimony that was anything but routine. A seemingly scripted question about Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, ignited a firestorm, branding him a “threat” to his people for nationalizing gold reserves – a narrative that conveniently trended across social media, despite military hearings typically being held in camera.
Barely 4-weeks later, on May 2, 2025, Langley was in Nairobi, shaking hands with President William Ruto, a leader increasingly seen as Washington’s loyal ally in East Africa. Meanwhile, Kenyan content creators have flooded platforms like X and TikTok with endless tributes to Traoré’s anti-imperialist crusade, sidelining the simmering revolution in their own backyard.
This is no coincidence – it’s a deliberate ploy, orchestrated from Washington, to distract Kenyans from their own fight for sovereignty and to prop up Ruto’s puppet presidency. Kenyans, your outrage is being remote-controlled. It’s time to wake up and reject the gaslighting.
The Scripted Spectacle in Washington
General Michael Langley answering a scripted question during a congressional hearing
Military congressional hearings are typically cloaked in secrecy, reserved for classified briefings far from public scrutiny. Yet, on April 3, 2025, General Langley’s testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee was a public performance, complete with a carefully worded question from Senator Roger Wicker about corruption and trade with China. Langley’s response zeroed in on Traoré, accusing him of diverting Burkina Faso’s $4 billion gold reserves to “protect his junta” rather than benefit his people. The accusation was explosive, sparking outrage across African social media.
Why was this moment so public? Why did a question about Burkina Faso, a small Sahel nation, take center stage in a U.S. Senate hearing? The answer lies in its timing and intent. Langley’s remarks were not a spontaneous critique but a calculated move to demonize Traoré, whose expulsion of French troops, nationalization of gold, and pivot to Russia and China threaten Western hegemony. By framing Traoré as a rogue leader, the U.S. sets the stage for interventionist rhetoric, echoing historical patterns of destabilizing African leaders like Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, who dared to challenge Western control. The public nature of the hearing ensured the narrative would trend, amplified by Western media and social platforms, reaching Kenya’s digitally savvy youth.
Langley in Nairobi: A Puppet’s Embrace
Western Puppet: William Ruto hosts General Michael Langley
Weeks after his Senate performance, Langley arrived in Nairobi on May 2, 2025, for a “strategic engagement” with President Ruto, hosted by Kenya’s Ministry of Defence. The talks, cloaked in platitudes about “regional security” and “counter-terrorism,” were met with swift backlash across Africa. Posts on X, like @MigunaMiguna’s May 2 tweet, condemned the visit as a shameful alliance between Langley, Ruto, and U.S. imperialism, accusing Kenya of serving as a “colonial enclave.” Critics, including Pan-African think tanks, labeled Kenya’s embrace of Langley as “dangerous,” warning that Nairobi’s role as a U.S. military outpost undermines continental unity.
The timing of Langley’s visit – mere weeks after his Traoré tirade – was no accident. Ruto, facing mounting domestic unrest over economic hardship, corruption, and his perceived subservience to Western interests, needed a boost to shore up his legitimacy. The U.S., keen to maintain its foothold in East Africa amid China and Russia’s growing influence, sees Ruto as a pliable ally. Langley’s visit, framed as a routine defence talk, was a public endorsement of Ruto’s presidency, signaling to Kenyans that Washington stands behind their leader. This alliance is not about Kenya’s security but about preserving a status quo that keeps Kenya economically dependent on Western institutions like the IMF and politically aligned with U.S. interests.
The Traoré Obsession: A Manufactured Distraction
While Langley and Ruto strategized in Nairobi, Kenyan content creators were busy flooding social media with content about Ibrahim Traoré. From X posts hailing him as “Africa’s most loved leader” to TikTok videos glorifying his anti-Western stance, Traoré has become a digital deity among Kenya’s youth. This obsession is not entirely organic. While genuine admiration for Traoré’s Pan-Africanism fuels some content, there’s evidence of a coordinated push to amplify his narrative in Kenya.
This flood of Traoré-centric content drowns out Kenya’s own struggles – skyrocketing living costs, youth unemployment, and Ruto’s controversial policies, like the 2024 finance bill that sparked deadly protests. The Migori shoe-throwing incident on May 4, 2025, where a youth hurled a shoe at Ruto, was a raw expression of this anger, celebrated across Africa as a symbol of resistance. Yet, Kenyan content creators, many incentivized by opaque digital campaigns, have shifted focus to Burkina Faso’s distant revolution, neglecting the revolutionary spark in their own streets.
The Migori shoe-throwing incident created more buzz globally than at home
This is no coincidence. The U.S. has a long history of shaping narratives to maintain influence in Africa, often through digital propaganda. By elevating Traoré’s story, Washington and its allies in Nairobi distract Kenyans from their own grievances, channeling their outrage toward a foreign cause that poses no immediate threat to Ruto’s regime. The Traoré narrative, while inspiring, is a safe outlet for Kenya’s youth – a way to vent anti-imperialist fervor without confronting the puppet presidency at home.
Langley and Ruto: Architects of Subjugation
Langley and Ruto’s partnership is a textbook case of neo-colonial collusion. Langley’s AFRICOM, with its sprawling network of bases across Africa, exists to secure U.S. strategic interests, not African sovereignty. His accusations against Traoré mirror a broader U.S. strategy to vilify leaders who reject Western dominance, from Gaddafi to Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Ruto, meanwhile, has deepened Kenya’s reliance on Western loans and military partnerships, signing a $950 million deal with China but aligning closely with U.S. security agendas.
This duo’s scheme is clear: prop up Ruto as a stable, pro-Western leader while painting Traoré as a dangerous pariah to justify potential intervention in Burkina Faso. By onboarding Kenyan content creators to amplify Traoré’s tribulations, they ensure Kenya’s youth are too busy idolizing a foreign hero to organize against Ruto’s regime. This is colonial subjugation repackaged for the digital age—using social media to remote-control outrage and suppress a homegrown revolution.
A Warning to Kenyans: Reject the Gaslighting
Kenyans, you are being tooled from Washington. Your anger, your aspirations, your revolutionary spirit are being hijacked by a narrative that serves the very powers you seek to dismantle. The U.S. and Ruto want you to cheer for Traoré’s Burkina Faso while ignoring the shackles on your own nation. The Migori shoe was not just a moment of defiance – it was a call to action, a reminder that Kenya’s fight for sovereignty is here, now, in your streets, markets, and campuses.
Do not let your outrage be scripted by Western gaslighting. Traoré’s fight is inspiring, but it is not your fight. Your battle is against a presidency that bows to foreign interests, a system that keeps Kenya indebted to the IMF, and a government that stifles your voice. Stop sharing memes about Ouagadougou and start organizing in Nairobi. Demand transparency from content creators flooding your feeds with Traoré’s image—ask who funds their platforms, who shapes their narratives.
Awaken and Act
Kenya, you are at a tipping point. The world saw your courage in Migori; Africa is watching, waiting for you to lead. Do not let Langley and Ruto’s scheme drown out your revolution. Burkina Faso may be breaking free, but Kenya’s chains remain. Reject the distraction, reclaim your narrative, and rise against the puppet presidency that betrays your future. Your sovereignty is not in Washington’s hands or Traoré’s victories – it is in yours. Awaken, organize, and fight for the Kenya you deserve.
