Kenyan government officials have long enjoyed lavish lobster dinners, jet-setting jaunts and luxury watches, but, as protests rage across the country, President Ruto is tightening his belt.

Ruto has put a freeze on proposed pay rises for cabinet ministers and members of parliament, amid a financial crisis in Kenya that has prompted a wave of anti-government unrest.

The president had earlier asked for a review of plans to raise all state officials’ salaries by between 2-5 per cent but by Wednesday the government announced that the pay rises were off altogether.

“The president has emphasised that this is a time, more than ever before, for the executive and all arms of government to live within their means,” said Hussein Mohamed, Ruto’s spokesman.

It is Ruto’s