President William Ruto joins senior government officers during the ground breaking for the 1B Kaishan fertilizer power plant in Olkaria, Naivasha. [Antony Gitonga, Standard] Kenyans head into the Christmas/New Year break with the 2027 drumbeats of “Singapore”, “First World” and “Economic Freedom” blaring in their ears. You don’t need a crystal ball to see that these calls for higher ambition as a nation could quietly consign the March 2025 10-point UDA/ODM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the political dustbin. That’s “realpolitik”. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255,…
Author: By Dennis Kabaara
President William Ruto and Deputy President Prof Kindiki Kithure arrive for a Cabinet Meeting at State House, Nairobi on 29/4/2025. [PCS] Has “bottom-up” now become “top-down”? That seems to be the unsaid question lurking beneath President William Ruto’s ten-year, Sh5 trillion “mega-infrastructure” idea being drip-fed to Kenyans in each successive speech. The latest morsels were provided in his Jamhuri Day address in which he referenced the idea as our “Sh5 trillion national economic freedom project”. Let’s hope it will not take 18 months to firm up this idea into actual policy/strategy. That’s how long this administration took to translate their…
Hustler hawking chicken baskets in Kakamega town on May 19,2024. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard] Unlock the Full Story — Join Thousands of Informed Kenyans Today Unlock the Truth Now 》 Unlimited access to all premium content Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience Mobile-optimized reading experience Weekly Newsletters MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted Already a subscriber? Log in `; } else { teaserEl.innerHTML = “”; } activeEl.innerHTML = “”; paywallEl.style.display = “block”; } else if (now >= saleStart && now <= saleEnd) { paywallEl.style.display = “none”; var diffToEnd = saleEnd – now; var totalSeconds = Math.floor(diffToEnd / 1000); var days = Math.floor(totalSeconds /…
Plain cloth police officers arrest a protester along Kenyatta avenue while protesting against the killing of blogger Albert Ojwang’ while in police custody, protesters demand immediate resignation of DIG Eliud Lagat from office. [Jonah Onyango, Standard] This will be one of those event-driven weeks as a difficult 2025 comes to a close. On December 9, was International Anti-Corruption Day, the 22nd anniversary of the launch of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2023. Remember, Kenya was one of this convention’s first signatories, if not the actual first to sign off. Today, December 10, is Human Rights Day, when the…
Ballot boxes for Mumbuni North ward by-election at Mumbuni Girls in Machakos County, on November 26, 2025. [John Muia, Standard] Here’s a question. Did we just have “third world” by-elections? Or rather, “buy-elections”? Here’s another. 616 days, or 88 weeks from today, will our new-fangled “third world to first” ruling regime literally have to buy all of us in 2027 in order to remain in office? Tough questions. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); } .paywall-container { position: relative; max-width: 100%;…
President William Ruto with former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at State House, Nairobi. [PSC] Four years ago, Kenyans were duly informed that “from being ranked as the 12th wealthiest nation in Africa when I took over, we have moved six ranks to become the sixth wealthiest nation on the continent…”. Last week, we heard that “three years ago, Kenya ranked as the eighth largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of $115 billion. Today, our GDP has increased to $136 billion, moving us up to become the sixth largest economy on the continent, according to the International Monetary…
President William Ruto during the State of the Nation Address 2025 at Parliament Buildings,Nairobi .November 20th,2025. [PCS/Standard] After witnessing weeks of populist pronouncements from car sunroofs exhorting Kenyans to stop being “average” for us to move “from third world to first”, we finally got to hear more about this latest brainwave by President William Ruto as he delivered his third State of the Nation Address to Parliament last Thursday. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); } .paywall-container { position: relative; max-width:…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and President William Ruto in Makueni County where they met with grassroot leaders at State Lodge. [PCS] “We want a nation united in its diversity. We need a state that is capable and competent. We are developing innovative ways of funding infrastructure. We are steadily removing the obstacles to meaningful and faster growth. We want a nation in which prosperity and opportunity is shared by all. We want a nation where no one goes hungry. We want a nation in which there is quality healthcare for all. We want a nation in which everyone is safe.…
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and President William Ruto in Makueni County where they met with grassroot leaders at State Lodge. [PCS] “We want a nation united in its diversity. We need a state that is capable and competent. We are developing innovative ways of funding infrastructure. We are steadily removing the obstacles to meaningful and faster growth. We want a nation in which prosperity and opportunity is shared by all. We want a nation where no one goes hungry. We want a nation in which there is quality healthcare for all. We want a nation in which everyone is safe.…
Man checking flight times at the airport. [GettyImages] Did you miss last Friday’s “double-whammy”? No, we aren’t talking about the mixed message “ODM@20” celebrations at the Coast. No, it isn’t even about President William Ruto’s latest development tour, this time to the Sh850 billion economy that is Lower Eastern, or Ukambani, region, where he pledged (or launched?) Sh110 billion in “development” without timelines. We refer today to a biting double piece by the New York Times on, to put it mildly, the travails of Kenyans working in Saudi Arabia. In today’s nanosecond times, the headline is now the whole story,…
President William Ruto. [File, Standard] Our latest leadership conversation appears to have cantered on if, and when, Kenya moves from third to first world. In decrying our “average” national thinking, President William Ruto tells us he has a plan to get us there by 2055 or thereabouts. In dismissing this idea under his incumbency, our amorphous “united opposition” wonders where this latest brainwave suddenly emerged from. This is the trouble when government is basically run as a permanent electoral campaign. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255,…
JKIA-Westlands Expressway as captrured from Westlands on April 23, 2025. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] Our latest leadership conversation appears to have cantered on if, and when, Kenya moves from third to first world. In decrying our “average” national thinking, President William Ruto tells us he has a plan to get us there by 2055 or thereabouts. In dismissing this idea under his incumbency, our amorphous “united opposition” wonders where this latest brainwave suddenly emerged from. This is the trouble when government is basically run as a permanent electoral campaign. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index:…
This video grab from the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) shows President Samia Suluhu Hassan taking the oath of office during her inauguration ceremony in Dar es Salaam, on November 3, 2025. [AFP] Do numbers tell us stories? In one place, the winner garnered 95 per cent of the vote on a 70 per cent turnout. In another, it was 90 per cent on 50 per cent turnout. In yet another, we had 57 per cent on 76 per cent. Then there was 53 per cent on 87 per cent. And now, 98 per cent on 87 per cent. Not forgetting…
Military officers during the public viewing of the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Kisumu on October 18, 2025. [Michael Mute, Standard] It was fitting that the nations we call Kenya – of which the state is one part – afforded former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga a superb farewell. Today is almost two weeks after his passing, yet he is still the subject of much discussion and debate in the general public square – across mainstream and social media; in public places and private spaces. It is fair to describe him, as many have done, as the…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department Vitor Gaspar. [Maxwell Agwanda, Standard] In what was a very American week for Kenya with UNGA@80, Haiti, Meg Whitman et al, we also got to quietly learn that the IMF is back in town (do they ever leave, they have an office here, right?). Last Wednesday’s presser from Washington DC was short and sharp. Basically, an IMF team will spend a fortnight in Nairobi – between September 25 and October 9 – “initiating” discussions with the Kenyan authorities (government) on a “possible” IMF-supported program. This is obviously serious business…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department Vitor Gaspar. [Maxwell Agwanda, Standard] In what was a very American week for Kenya with UNGA@80, Haiti, Meg Whitman et al, we also got to quietly learn that the IMF is back in town (do they ever leave, they have an office here, right?). Last Wednesday’s presser from Washington DC was short and sharp. Basically, an IMF team will spend a fortnight in Nairobi – between September 25 and October 9 – “initiating” discussions with the Kenyan authorities (government) on a “possible” IMF-supported program. This is obviously serious business…
President William Ruto during the International Youth Day forum at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, on September 6, 2025. [PCS] In a week dominated by what government “spox” amusingly titled the “commemoration of” (or was it “commiseration with”) three years of President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza, now broad based, regime, the most interesting part was the muted silence of the opposition. We have none. /* Container styling */ .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); } .paywall-container { position:…
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja appears before the Senate Energy Committee over a dispute with Kenya Power at Parliament Buildings, April 1, 2025. (Elvis Ogina, Standard) As the saying goes, “when a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king, the palace becomes a circus”. It’s a saying best ascribed to political leaders, and it is easy to see how it could be applied to many countries, including ours. In fact, it’s a saying that once got a journalist in another part of the world arrested a couple of years back, on account of references to that country’s long-serving…
President William Ruto Initiatives such as the Affordable Housing Programme, labour mobility abroad, digital hubs, and ClimateWorx are creating jobs for a diverse pool of youth.[PCS] Today marks three years since President William Ruto was inaugurated into office; swearing by the Bible and sword to obey, preserve, protect and defend the constitution and all other law while upholding the sovereignty, integrity and dignity of the people of Kenya. If Kenya was heaven, this is all we must judge him on, in terms of relative progress and absolute performance. But Kenya is a funny place – since 2010, we have elected into office…
Workers operate sewing machines to stitch pieces of fabric together to make jeans inside the United Aryan textile factory at the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Nairobi on February 4, 2025. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP) Less than two months into the 2025/26 fiscal year, the 2026/27 budget process has already begun. The process kicked off last Monday with the launch of Sector Working Groups, which should really be the first venues for public participation in a transparent budget cycle. Indeed, proper participation should follow our 3-in-1 public finance management, and not simply budget preparation, cycle – participating in…
It has barely lasted a week, and now it’s already on the back burner. The reference here is to corruption, and President William Ruto’s repeated claims of a corrupted Parliament. He spoke about it for the third time this month at a joint UDA-ODM Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting last week, after earlier mentions at a Presidential Roundtable with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, and the following week’s 9th Devolution Conference. Expectedly, members of both Houses responded in forked tongues; some seeming to justify the practice of lobbying, others apparently confirming long-held perceptions of the August House as a “legislative ATM”…
From road projects to bursary allocations; from education capitation to social protection stipends, there’s always a “cut.” [File, Standard] “Name them!”, the media demanded. “Name and shame them”, was the Kenyan cry of the past. “Name them, jail them and recover our money” is the present clamour in our interesting Gen Z times. Yes, we’re talking about the C-word — corruption. For the second time in a fortnight, President William Ruto has accused Parliament — once firmly under his party’s control before broad-based government arrangement weakened Opposition voices — of soliciting bribes and other favours in exchange for favourable decisions…
President William Ruto arrives for the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County, on August 12, 2025. [Michael Mute, Standard] It is fair to observe that Homa Bay county (County Number 43) has recently gained prominence in the public domain as the “go to” place for major national, regional and local-level events and happenings. We’ve seen the county hosting one national public holiday celebration that was cleverly dovetailed into an earlier, reportedly successful international investment conference. Through media, we observe a Homa Bay investment and infrastructure mini-boom of sorts; from business set-ups to new roads and recreational facilities. Right on cue,…
President William Ruto during the launch of Hustler Fund at Green Park, Nairobi, on November 30, 2022. [File, Standard] To say that Kenyans have been in a better mood than usual in the past fortnight might have everything to do with the continuing heroics of Harambee Stars, our national men’s football team, at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN). And it isn’t just the team’s performance, incredible as it has been; it’s long-held feelings around our promise and potential as a nation. In truth, CHAN has offered us a dose of relief from the daily drudgery of zero-sum politics, leadership…
President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the official opening of the Sub-County Headquarter Offices in Rangwe, Homa Bay county. [HIRAM OMONDI/PCS. 30/5/2025] Imagine it is the middle of 2027. At least 200,000 affordable houses are now occupied by Kenyans across the country. Almost 40 million Kenyans are enrolled for social health insurance after a workaround was found to accommodate our informal, non-payroll sector, but the real win in the broader universal health care (UHC) programme is free primary health care that is now available at the country’s grassroots, offering community and facility-level health services. However, the…
A voter casts the ballot during UDA grassroots elections. [File, Standard] Like a broken record, let’s admit that our journey to the 2027 General Election is well under way. The incumbent broad-based administration insists that there are still two years to go, and they are focused on delivering on the promises they made to Kenyans in their 2022 manifesto. Since using the term “opposition” feels like a contradiction (presidential system of government notwithstanding), the non-broad-based side of our political terrain is still a mixed bag; the talking point at this stage is “Wantam” with plenty of maneuvering (single candidate,…
President William Ruto addresses residents after the launch of the Sogoo-Melelo-Ololung’a Road on the second day of his tour of Narok County, May 7, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] The gaslighting continues. After the opposition, the church, the international community and dark forces from the other world, now it’s parents to blame for public protests. It is parents who “take their children to the police” who deal with “criminals, not parenting”. Meanwhile, terrorism charges are the latest weapon in this administration’s anti-protest arsenal of “lawfare”. On the ground, the “operationally independent” police now have three different instructions in three weeks –…
President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the second day of the third National Executive Retreat at the KCB Leadership Centre in Kajiado County, on June 20, 2025. [File, Standard]. In the aftermath of deadly and violent protests on Saba Saba Day, with almost 40 dead and up to 130 injured according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, President William Ruto has proclaimed more than once that “Enough is Enough”, while former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, his “partner in arms” in the broad based government, suggests a “National Intergenerational Conclave” as the latest dialogue brainwave…
Guards along the muindi mbingu street enjoy lunch time meal together at the center of the walk path as businesses in the CBD were closed during the Sabsaba day protests on 7th July 2025. [David Gichuru, Standard] “William Ruto is taking Kenya to a dangerous place”, bellows The Economist weekly news magazine in a leader (lead article) last week. We probably missed it, given the latest uproar over President Ruto’s private church-building agenda for public State House property. Or maybe owing to real and deepening public anger at the burials of young people dying in the hands of unreformed…
Police officers try to put off fire that was started by youths at Gitaru along waiyaki Way. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] “William Ruto is taking Kenya to a dangerous place”, below The Economist weekly news magazine in a leader (lead article) last week. We probably missed it, given the latest uproar over President Ruto’s private church-building agenda for public State House property. Or maybe owing to real and deepening public anger at the burials of young people dying in the hands of unreformed police. Though each of these is a genuine subject of debate on its own merits, it is increasingly…
A youth during Gen Z anniversary protest on Kisii-Migori highway, on June 25, 2025. [Sammy Omingo, Standard] In deciphering the disconnect between rulers and ruled, was June 25 our latest “Zero O’clock” moment? Remember, our leaders loves the sound of their own voices, while playing tone-deaf but trigger-happy when the people speak in ways they don’t like. Remember the popular view before the protests that our leaders had a year to change things, to reset and reboot, but hadn’t. /* Container styling */ .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom,…
Youth during anti-government protests along Moi Avenue, Nairobi, on July 16, 2024. [File, Standard] Although some argue that we operate in permanent campaign mode, the current national mood feels like this is Kenya’s earliest ever election campaign season. If this was a boxing match, in the blue corner, the incumbents insist it is not time for campaigns, but traverse the country on “development tours” and “empowerment events.” Their latest is “development visits” by sundry delegations to State House where “goodies” are doled out as if we have no functioning systems. It’s less “bottom-up” and more “unifying the country taking development…
National Treasury CS John Mbadi carrying the budget at Parliament on June 12, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] For probably the first time in Kenya’s post-independence history, the annual budget address – which today we call the Budget Statement presented by our Treasury Cabinet Secretary in Parliament – wasn’t the headline across pretty much all of our leading popular dailies. The one exception ignored the address but described the budget as a “begging spree”. Remember when Minister and briefcase would adorn every paper’s front page, with neat graphics about “winners and losers”? Think about it. In which country claiming to be…
The National Treasury Building on on Sunday, February, 18, 2024. [FILE] Treasury CS John Mbadi presents his maiden Budget Statement to Parliament at a time the nation is frayed at the edges – politically, economically and socially. As young people are arrested, abducted and murdered on his watch, President William Ruto insists he is uniting the Kenyan nation. Well, he is definitely uniting Kenyans against his administration. Remember, when public good or bad happens in the country, the buck stops at his desk. That’s the job! It is easy to resort to “what-about-ism”, that all these bad things happened before.…
Hanniel Calebson a Pupils at Assar Johanson Primary school and a grade six Candidate of KEPSEAS Sported in their class room leading his classmate to revise on October 27, 2023 during exams rehearsal day. [Caleb Kingwara, Standard] Leading into the 2025 Budget Statement on Thursday, let us acknowledge the recent work of the National Treasury to actively engage with the public and stakeholders on the budget process. .fade-out-overlay{position:absolute;top:-80px;left:0;width:100%;height:60px;z-index:1;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,rgba(255,255,255,0),rgba(255,255,255,1))}.paywall-container{position:relative;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;padding:25px;border:1px solid #e0e0e0;border-radius:8px;box-shadow:0 2px 10px rgba(0,0,0,.1);background-color:#fff}.paywall-container h2{text-align:center}.paywall-container a{text-decoration:none!important}.paywall-header{font-size:24px;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:15px;color:#333;text-align:center}.price-highlight{font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;color:#d40511;margin:15px 0;text-align:center}.price-highlight .original-price{text-decoration:line-through;color:#777;margin-right:0}.divider{border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0;margin:20px 0}.subscribe-button{display:block;width:100%;padding:12px;background-color:#d40511;color:#fff;border:none;border-radius:4px;font-size:25px;font-weight:bold;cursor:pointer;margin-bottom:20px;transition:background-color .3s;text-decoration:none}.subscribe-button:hover{background-color:#b0030e;text-decoration:none}.features-list{margin:20px 0;padding-left:20px;list-style:none}.features-list li{margin-bottom:10px;list-style-type:none;position:relative;padding-left:25px;list-style-type:none!important}.features-list li:before{content:”✓”;color:#d40511;position:absolute;left:0;font-weight:bold}.existing-subscriber{text-align:center;color:#555;font-size:14px}.existing-subscriber a{color:#d40511;text-decoration:none}.existing-subscriber a:hover{text-decoration:underline} Get Trusted News for Only Ksh99 a Week Subscribe Today & Save!…
National Treasury Cabinet SecretaryJohn Mbadi during the launch of Economic Survey 2025 at KICC, Nairobi, on May 6, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] When it comes to matters fiscus, we have come full circle in a single generation. Some will recall the 1990s, when the key subject for debate during the Budget season was the Finance Bill, or specifically, tax changes. We then went into a democratic phase where we paid attention to the spending side of the budget, and more recently debt. Yet government remained “Baba na Mama” of the economy, a reminder that our 2010 Constitution is not ingrained…
The National Assembly during a past session. MPs approved the county equitable share at Sh405 billion. File, Standard] Almost 15 years since the 2010 Constitution was promulgated, 12 years after the first post-constitution election that birthed our current system of devolved government and eight mega conferences later, what is the true state of devolution today? Is it dead, or dying, as some suspect? The short and easy answer here is our devolved system of government is still a work in progress. Lest we forget, devolution was touted as the crown jewel in our progressive and transformative constitution. It was the…
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Winfridah Mokaya when they appeared before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for Examination of the Auditor General’s report for the Financial Year ended June 2024 at Bunge Towers, Parliament, Nairobi. March 27th, 2025. (Elvis Ogina, Standard) “Our Judiciary is now, without doubt, Kenya’s biggest constitutional dividend”. Do we remember this quote? It comes from President William Ruto’s inauguration speech of September 13, 2022, in which he also referred to devolution (and sharing of power and resources) as “not just a national value and principle of governance in the Constitution, but…the crown jewel of…