President William Ruto during a meeting with over 10,000 teacheers at state house. [File, Standard] When President William Ruto hosted teachers at State House recently, the meeting ended with more than just nice pleasantries, developments rhetoric and good food. It ended with a carrot. He signed a MoU with teachers, which will guarantee them 20 percent of the houses under the affordable housing programme. His reasoning was that since teachers contribute more than 13 percent of the levy, they deserved a larger slice of the pie. This came hot on the heels of other promises to other groups, including the police and even Harambee Stars, who had…
Author: By Robert Wanjala
Residents at a supermarket that was set ablaze during protests in Kathmandu on September 13, 2025. [AFP] On September 9 in Kathmandu, Nepal, thousands of Gen Z youth stormed Parliament, set it ablaze, overran police barricades, and forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. The trigger was the government’s sudden decision to ban social media platforms, but the rage had been building for years over stocked corruption, widened inequality, and the sense that the ruling elite was callously hoarding wealth while the majority sank deeper into poverty. The sight on social media of ministers running helter-skelter through the streets…
Demonstrators carry an injured victim (C) during a protest outside the Parliament in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025, held to condemn the government over social media prohibitions and corruption. [AFP] On September 9 in Kathmandu, Nepal, thousands of Gen Z youth stormed Parliament, set it ablaze, overran police barricades, and forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. The trigger was the government’s sudden decision to ban social media platforms, but the rage had been building for years over stocked corruption, widened inequality, and the sense that the ruling elite was callously hoarding wealth while the majority sank deeper…
President William Ruto during a meeting with Kiambu county grassroots leaders at State House, Nairobi, on August 27, 2025. [PCS] President William Ruto on Tuesday declared once again that he is going to go out of his way to “make sure Kenya catches up with Singapore.” On the surface, his statement, like many others made in recent times sounded the kind of bold, inspiring rhetoric that leaders love to serve us. But when you peel back the layers, his words feel less like a serious development strategy and more like a cruel joke on a weary citizenry that has been…
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta chats with President William Ruto during a tour around State House after the joint EAC-SADC meeting on the restoration of peace and stability in the DRC. [PCS] The ongoing public spat between President William Ruto and MPs is no fight against corruption. It is the familiar spectacle of Kenya’s politics, where the executive throws accusations, MPs feign outrage, and both sides posture as defenders of integrity. In truth, it is a grotesque dance of hypocrisy between two arms of government that have for years colluded to loot, coerce, and manipulate the very public they now claim to…
Youth during Saba Saba protests in Kitengela, on July 7, 2025. The government has announced plans to compensate victims of protests. [File, Standard] Last week’s announcement by the government that it will compensate victims of protests dating back to 2017 has stirred deep unease. This unease is not born out of a rejection of relief for grieving families. It is rooted in the reality that compensation without justice is an empty gesture. It is a plaster placed over a festering wound. In short, it is a performance that sidesteps the harder and necessary work of accountability. Since the youth-led protests…
Judiciary Chief Registrar Anne Amadi swears in President William Ruto as his wife Rachel holds the Bible during his inauguration at Kasarani Stadium, Nairobi, on September 13, 2022. [Stafford Ondego, Standard] In a democracy, no leader is entitled to power beyond the mandate freely given by the people. But here in Kenya, a troubling narrative has been gaining traction among President William Ruto’s close allies that he must be granted a second term simply because his predecessors, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, each served two terms. This mindset is not only ahistorical and anti-democratic but is also deeply flawed and…
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. [File, Standard] In a democracy, no leader is entitled to power beyond the mandate freely given by the people. But here in Kenya, a troubling narrative has been gaining traction among President William Ruto’s close allies that he must be granted a second term simply because his predecessors, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, each served two terms. This mindset is not only ahistorical and anti-democratic but is also deeply flawed and insulting to the intelligence and sovereignty of…
There are three senior cardinals from Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea. [File, Standard] There are three senior cardinals from Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea. The College of Cardinals elects the next Pope guided by tradition and several other factors. As the smoke of mourning continues to rise over the Vatican following Pope Francis’s death on Easter Monday, his passing has reignited a familiar yet critical question of whether the time is ripe for Africa to give the world its first Pope. .fade-out-container{position:relative;background:none;top:-95px;padding:4rem 0 2rem;text-align:center}.fade-out-overlay{position:absolute;top:-40px;left:0;width:100%;height:60px;z-index:1;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,rgba(255,255,255,0),rgba(255,255,255,1))}.subscribe-content{position:relative;z-index:2;padding:20px;background:#fff;top:-55px}.subscribe-content h1{font-size:2rem;margin:2rem 0;font-weight:bold;color:#ed1a3b}.subscribe-content h2{margin-bottom:2rem}.subscribe-content button{background-color:#ed1a3b;color:#fff;font-size:1.25rem;padding:.75rem 2rem;border:none;border-radius:0;cursor:pointer;margin-top:1rem;min-width:200px}.subscribe-content p{margin-top:1.5rem;font-size:.95rem}.subscribe-content a{color:#ed1a3b;text-decoration:underline} There are three senior…