The late Former President Mwai Kibaki displays the new Kenyan constitution to the nation after he promulgated and signed it into law at a public function at Uhuru Park, Nairobi.[FILE] Oh, Kenya, land of stunning savannahs, vibrant jua kali spirit, and… a legal system that seems to have missed the memo on independence. Sixty-two years after waving goodbye to the British, we’re still waltzing to colonial-era laws like it is 1925, and the governor is sipping tea at Muthaiga Country Club. Add to that the shiny bills assented on October 15, 2025, and it’s clear our lawmakers have a PhD in recycling…
Author: By Lawi Sultan Njeremani
Water is life, yet in Kenya, it has become a commodity, a privilege, and a battleground for profit rather than a universal right. I see the mismanagement of water at both National and County Government levels as a profound failure of governance—one that violates human rights, entrenches inequality, and threatens our collective future. From the boreholes touted as value-add selling points in upmarket apartments to the water bowsers and jerrycans dotting balconies in cities like Nairobi, the evidence of this crisis is stark. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp At the heart of my critique lies a fundamental disparity: water,…
Opposition leaders led by Kalonzo Musyoka, Rigathi Gachagua (DCP), Eugene Wamalwa (DAP-K), mithika Linturi among others address locals in Sultan Hamud and Emali in Makueni county on Thursday.[Courtesy] Kenya’s democracy is suffocating, its vitality draining with each passing election cycle. Every five years, citizens dutifully line up to cast their votes, entrusting their hopes to leaders who, over the subsequent 1,825 days, proceed to marginalise the electorate. The turmoil surrounding the Finance Bill, the outcry over the housing levy, and the flagrant dismissal of judicial rulings transcend mere political disputes. They are the agonised gasps of a system rooted in…
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, together with IEBC Commissioners, during a media briefing at PrideInn Paradise – Shanzu in Mombasa County on July 19, 2025. [File, Standard] I see society’s pulse in its structures—how they uplift or oppress, unite or divide. The electoral boundary system, stewarded by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), is a structure teetering on collapse. On September 5, 2035, the Supreme Court delivered a monumental Advisory Opinion striking out IEBC’s application dated July 4, 2024 seeking a determination on the missed boundaries review deadline. The Supreme Court threw the ball back to…
President William Ruto signs a Bill into law at State House, Nairobi. [PCS] The 2010 Constitution heralded a new era of governance rooted in transparency, accountability and the independence of key institutions. Yet, a persistent flaw undermines these principles: the President’s role in appointing officials to independent offices and commissions, as well as conferring prestigious honours like Senior Counsel. It starts with prerogative then it becomes unilateral. This practice, though often ceremonial, creates perceptions of political bias and erodes public trust in institutions meant to serve as impartial guardians of democracy. It is time to strip the President of these…
Gen Z protest aftermath destruction in Nairobi CBD on June 26, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] In the annals of Greek mythology, the Titanomachy stands as a timeless saga of rebellion and renewal. This ten-year war pitted the Titans — elder gods of immense power, led by Cronus — against the Olympians, a younger generation spearheaded by Zeus. I see striking parallels between this myth and Kenya’s unfolding political drama. In my view, Kenya’s generational fault-lines mirror the Titanomachy’s epic clash. Here, Gen-Z embodies the Olympians — restless, defiant, and led by a metaphorical Zeus — rising to challenge the Titans of Gen-X,…
In the heart of our 2010 Constitution lies a radical promise: “All sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya.” These words, enshrined in Article 1, mark a deliberate break from the colonial shackles of the 1963 Constitution, which positioned public officials as extensions of distant authority, lording over citizens as if they were subjects. The 2010 Constitution was a covenant—a declaration that the people, not their leaders, are the ultimate arbiters of power. Yet, 15 years later, a pervasive “overlord culture” persists in Kenya’s public service and state offices, where citizens are treated as inferior, their dignity eroded by…
President William Ruto ,opposition Leader Raila Odinga flanked by several leaders from political parties after the signing of IEBC bill that was developed from NADCO report into law. [FILE/Standard] On August 6, 2025, President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga signed a statement establishing a five-member committee to oversee implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report and a 10-point agenda. The aim was to address Kenya’s governance, devolution, youth empowerment challenges, leadership and integrity, the right to protest, the national debt, the fight against corruption, stopping wastage of public resources, promoting sovereignty of the people, rule of law and constitutionalism.…
A joint session of National Assembly, the Senate and East Africa Legislative members.[FILE/Standard] I have long held a critical view of the Petitions to Parliament (Procedure) Act of 2012, particularly when measured against the robust rights accorded to children under the 2010 Constitution. The Act constructs a procedural labyrinth that effectively disenfranchises children — a group explicitly protected and empowered by the Constitution. Article 53 elevates children’s status, guaranteeing them education, protection, and the paramountcy of their best interests. In my assessment, the current petition process is a structural barrier that undermines these constitutional promises, silencing children on matters that…