President William Ruto.
In high school, our Deputy Principal’s nickname was 'Savimbi,' named after Jonas Savimbi, the Angolan rebel who spent more than 30 years battling first for Angolan independence and then for personal power.
With a similar trademark beard, our own 'Savimbi' in some respects matched the Angolan Savimbi described by Michael T. Kaufman in The New York Times as, “The burly leader easily recognized by his lumbering gait, menacing scowl, combat fatigues, pistol and black beret, all of which served to obscure his Swiss doctorate in political science”.
At Kenyatta High School (Mwatate, Taita), 'Savimbi' was revered and his word was law. One day, he summoned me to his office. It was in the afternoon, as I remember it.
I found him at his desk, his beard bopping up and down as he talked to me. When he spoke, it was quiet and powerful, a faint Taita accent adding to the mystery. The air was full of something that was akin to utter dread. Fortunately, it was not a discipline issue, and I was relieved.
The name 'Savimbi' struck fear in the hearts of all boys at the school. We rarely used the Deputy Principal’s real name: 'Savimbi' stuck.
I thought about this recently as President Ruto complained about the nicknames Kenyans have given him.
On Thursday, March 13, 2025, while on his Nairobi tour, the president said, “You started by calling me a Hustler, then Survivor, to Zakayo, and now you have turned to Kasongo.
How many more names do you intend to give me? Will you stop at ten, or should I prepare for more?” Someone in the meeting added that the youth had yet another name for him: “El Chapo”.
Power of nicknames
In literature, authors who use names in especially interesting ways include William Shakespeare, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, John Milton, James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov.
Nicknames are powerful tools in literature, enriching narratives by providing insight into characters, their relationships, and cultural contexts.
In Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, Dmitri Karamazov is often referred to as "Mitya" by his family and friends. Mitya is a name that reflects the affection they have for him. He has a passionate and impulsive nature — embodying the struggle between moral integrity and base desires, making him a complicated and compelling figure.
In Charles Dickens’ novels, nicknames add layers of meaning and help readers connect with the characters on a deeper level. One of the most notable nicknames is Pip (Philip Pirrip in the novel Great Expectations). The nickname "Pip" is a simple, affectionate form of his full name, emphasizing his humble beginnings and innocence.
The other famous name is Scrooge (Ebenezer Scrooge in the novella A Christmas Carol). Though not technically a nickname, the name "Scrooge" has become synonymous with miserliness and lack of generosity, reflecting his character's initial disposition before he was changed.
Clear message in name picks
Just as writers use various names and nicknames for their characters, Kenyans have been using nicknames in an interesting way for President Ruto.
Something passes from person to person when a nickname is used, it could be jokes or satire but there is always a clear and biting message.
Nicknames in literature and politics play various roles. The first role is characterization. Nicknames can highlight distinctive traits or specific quirks of characters. For example, in Dickens’ Great Expectations, the character Abel Magwitch is referred to as "The Convict" because of his criminal background and the fear he instils in others.
The name “Zakayo” for President Ruto singles out his penchant for collecting taxes, named after the biblical tax collector Zacchaeus.
The second role is social commentary. For example, in Oliver Twist, Dickens uses nicknames to reflect social status and relationships. The nickname "Artful Dodger" for Jack Dawkins highlights his cunning nature and his role within the illegal underworld.
For President Ruto, the name Kasongo (which was first a viral meme associated with a cunning warthog and later became President Ruto’s nickname) seems to describe the president’s cunning approach to politics.
The third role of nicknames is humour and satire. The name Falstaff in Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare comes from "false staff," hinting at his deceitful and cowardly behaviour. The nickname “El Chapo” for President Ruto — that came after his promise of a machine that would produce 1 million chapatis in a day — has been the source of many jokes, memes and much laughter. President Ruto has been depicted in AI-altered images to be wearing clothes made of chapatis and even our national football team (Harambee Stars) has been depicted in chapati uniforms.
Nicknames in literature and politics, in the end, are for controlling the narrative. President Ruto, ever the politician, has moved to take the sting out of the nicknames by embracing them and even mocking the nicknames and making fun of them.
No matter what nicknames Kenyans throw at him, he has vowed to continue with his work undeterred. And it seems that the nicknames will keep coming.
The writer is a book publisher based in Nairobi. [email protected]
