Anti-riot police officers rough up a protester during the anti-government protests in Mathare on July 19, 2023. [File, Standard] In the story of Kenya’s long march towards democracy, some names, among them, Gitobu Imanyara, Martha Karua, Rev. Timothy Njoya, Wille Mutunga and Njeri Kabereri have earned their place in the annals of our democratic struggle. They were part of a pantheon of heroes who stood firm against the repression of the single party state; they fought hard, took risks, endured state harassment, violence and detention as they championed the second liberation. They were the conscience of the nation that helped…
Author: By Herman Manyora
Oburu Oginga addressing during the State Funeral Service his late brother former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the Nyayo National Stadium on October 17, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Having interacted with Raila Odinga closely for a considerable period of time, I am compelled to write this critical article on the politics of Oburu Odinga which I believe fundamentally differs from that of Raila Odinga. This, I believe, may eventually save the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and ultimately preserve the legacy of Raila. For more than three decades, Kenya’s politics revolved around Raila. In that period, Raila dichotomised Kenya’s politics to…
President William Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua. [File, Standard] On November 4 last year, I wrote in these pages that the decision to jettison then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from the second most powerful office in the land would change Kenya’s political dynamics forever. Back then, the matter was fresh and undergoing litigation in the courts. We cautioned that the move would not only jolt the populous Mt Kenya region, Gachagua’s backyard, into a bit of political buzz, but also send ripples across the country. Today, in virtually all pro-establishment rallies, attacking the former DP is now the done thing. And…
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, during an interview with KTN at his Karen Residence on April 7,2025. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] On November 4 last year, I wrote in these pages that the decision to jettison then-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua from the second most powerful office in the land would change Kenya’s political dynamics forever. Back then, the matter was fresh and undergoing litigation in the courts. We cautioned that the move would not only jolt the populous Mt Kenya region – Gachagua’s backyard – into a bit of political buzz, but also send ripples across the country. Today, in virtually all pro-establishment rallies,…