President William Ruto with governors after the official opening of the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County. [PCS] When Kenyans overwhelmingly voted for the 2010 Constitution, one of the brightest hopes embedded in its pages was the promise of devolution. It was hailed as the silver bullet to decades of centralised governance that had left vast swathes of the country marginalised, underdeveloped and politically voiceless. Devolution, we were told, would take resources and decision-making closer to the people. It would foster equity, accountability and grassroots participation in governance. More than a decade later, the optimism has largely fizzled out.…
Author: By Hussein Khalid
Youth during Gen Z protests in Nairobi, on June 25, 2025. [File, Standard] In July 2025, US Senator James Risch introduced a bold amendment in Congress proposing the reconsideration of Kenya’s designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA). This privileged status, awarded to a select group of countries, allows access to US military support, strategic collaboration and defence related advantages. But Risch’s amendment is not simply about security cooperation. It is a powerful statement that human rights must be at the heart of global partnerships. For decades, Kenya has enjoyed international respect as a democratic leader in Africa. From regular…
Mwabili Mwagodi, a Kenyan activist living and working in Tanzania. [FILE/Standard] On Wednesday, May 23, 2025, Mwabili Mwagodi, a Kenyan activist living and working in Tanzania, was abducted in the capital, Dar es Salaam, under highly suspicious circumstances. According to his own account, he was approached by unidentified security agents and taken into custody without a warrant. He was blindfolded and transported to an undisclosed location. For several days, he was held incommunicado, subjected to interrogation, and most disturbingly, kept in handcuffs both day and night, even while sleeping and using the toilet. His captors offered no official charges, no…
State sponsored goons whipping journalists and protestors along Waiyaki Way during Justice For Albert Ojwang Protests on June 17, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] What began as a peaceful protest in the heart of Nairobi on Tuesday quickly degenerated into a horrifying scene of violence, anarchy and impunity. Kenyans had taken to the streets to demand justice for Albert Ojwang, a young man whose life was senselessly cut short under brutal circumstances that point directly at police officers including the Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat. Instead of listening to the people’s demands, the State responded in a way that has now become…
Activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire narrating their harrowing experiences at the hands of Tanzanian Authorities last Month. [Benard Orwongo, I write these words with a heavy heart, my soul crushed by the inhumanity I have witnessed and the brutal stories I carry with me. Not as a rumour or an allegation but as a truth so horrifying that it will forever stain the conscience of our continent if left unchallenged. Boniface Mwangi and Uganda’s Agather Atuhaire were two brave and unarmed citizens of Africa who were subjected to four days of unspeakable torture in Tanzania. This was not in…
Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan addresses a past event at Kasarani stadium, Nairobi, on September 13, 2022. [File, Standard] Monday, May 19, 2025, will forever be etched in my memory. Not because of violence or chaos but because of the cold, quiet efficiency of repression. On that day, I was detained and subsequently deported from Tanzania alongside Chief Justice Emeritus Willy Mutunga and fellow activist Hanifa Adan. We had travelled there to stand in solidarity with human rights lawyers and to witness first-hand the struggles of those fighting for expansion of democratic space in the region. Instead, we were swept…
In the past year, our country has witnessed one of the most painful chapters in its democratic journey. From the onset of the Gen Z protests in June 2024, the streets became the voice of a young, vibrant generation demanding a better, freer future. Youths, armed only with flags, bottles of water and their phones, marched with courage, with hope in their eyes and fire in their hearts. But too many of them paid the ultimate price. At VOCAL Africa, we have walked alongside the families of those who have been killed, abducted or disappeared during this painful time. It…