President William Ruto addresses residents after officially opening the Suswa Fresh Produce Market in Narok East Constituency on May 6, 2025. [File, Standard] President William Ruto knows all too well that if he isn’t careful, the united opposition could turn their ambitions into reality and unseat him from the coveted presidency. So, what is he doing? Is he sitting idly by, waiting to be knocked off by his rivals? Not at all. Behind closed doors, the strategy room is likely buzzing with high-level planning and behind-the-scenes manoeuvres. Politics is rarely about doing what’s ‘right’; it’s a silent, calculated game of…
Author: By Benedict Toroitich
President William Ruto addresses residents after the launch of the Sogoo-Melelo-Ololung’a Road during a tour of Narok County, on May 7, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] There is a worrying lack of depth in the way many young Kenyans, especially Gen Z, engage with politics. For Gen Z, everything is about “vibes.” Everything is “down with the system.” But when you strip away the slogans and trending hashtags, what’s left is often an alarming ignorance of how power actually works. Unknown to them, politics isn’t child’s play. Politics isn’t content creation. Politics is a vast field of social sciences that great…
Gen-z youths in Kitengela in a protest to mark one year since their colleagues were killed as they protested finance bill 2024. Most businesses were looted and burnt. [Jenipher Wachie/Standard] There are shouts and ballads on the streets, “Ruto must go” and “Kasongo must go.” But go how, or where? In reality, there are only three ways this can happen: Through impeachment by Parliament, incapacitation or death in office, or at the ballot in 2027. There is no other way. Even if you were to demonstrate for a million years and burn down the entire country, President William Ruto will not…
Kenya’s heart has always beat to the rhythm of its people: Diverse, vibrant, and resilient. For decades, our nation has been celebrated as an island of peace amid a troubled neighbourhood. Not too long ago, it seemed we had finally bid farewell to the shadow of tribalism. Intermarriages flourished, friends from different communities exchanged playful banter without malice, and being “Kenyan” began to mean more than being Kikuyu, Luo, Maasai, Kamba, or Kalenjin. It was a fragile hope and a whisper of a unified future. Yet today, that sense of Kenyan unity has been drowned out by the sinister drumbeats…
EACC and police officers during a raid at the home of Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya in Milimani, Kitale, on May 20, 2025. [Osinde Obare, Standard] Kenya is facing real danger of slipping into civil war if political rhetoric is not checked. Recent political activities point to a grim and bleak future. The words of our leaders, their semantic choices, and the multiple interpretations of their statements tend to foment chaos and unrest. Lest we forget, the mayhem that befell Kenya in 2007/2008 left thousands dead, and many more displaced and homeless. I must reiterate the need for peace, especially…
National Assembly proceedings at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi. [File, Standard] The 2010 Constitution redrew the governance map with one key principle at its core: The separation of powers. It made this clear: Those who make laws and provide oversight should not implement those laws or handle funds. Articles 94 and 95 assign MPs legislative and oversight roles. Article 96 assigns senators the duty to protect counties and exercise oversight over revenue allocated to them and not to spend the money themselves. Now, there exists a lacuna in law regarding the true position of the NG-CDF, yet it has wholly transformed the…
Butere Girls High Students declined to perform the controversial ‘Echoes of War’ play at Melvin Jones in Nakuru during the 63rd edition of the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival on April 10, 2025. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard] Kenya sits precariously on a fragile pedestal, struggling to contain tribal violence and long-standing balkanisation fueled by hate speech and unpatriotic narratives. The ‘Echoes of war’ play is laced with rebellious undertones that cannot be permitted. Our democratic framework is so loose that ethnically-charged rhetoric and entrenched tribalism will quickly plunge Kenya to chaos. As the 2027 election campaigns gain momentum, drum-beats of…