Strong institutions key to Kenya's redemption

While delivering the keynote address during the 2018 edition of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders town hall in South Africa, former US president Barack Obama eloquently reminded leaders of the key components of a working democracy. “Democracy is about strong institutions; and it’s about minority rights and checks and balances; and freedom of speech and freedom of expression and a free press; and a right to protest and petition the government; and an independent judiciary and everyone having to follow the law”, Obama told congregants.

Young as Kenya is in terms of entrenchment of the tenets of democracy and the rule of law, it is only fair to give credit where it is due. Kenya stands out amongst her African peers and neighbors in several aspects. August 2010 heralded a new dawn for Kenya, an era of sovereignty of the people, supremacy of the constitution and most importantly, a leadership system anchored on strong institutions, independent or otherwise. That Kenyans resolved to have a national dialogue which gave rise to a new constitution that gives them a plethora of fundamental rights and freedoms was an important statement.