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From resistance to establishment: Has ODM lost its moral compass?

Opposition movements derive legitimacy not merely from opposing governments, but from defending enduring constitutional values.

By Gitobu Imanyara 1 month ago

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When the President becomes his own biggest opposition

Leaders who spend enormous energy trying to silence criticism often achieve the opposite. Every unnecessary confrontation creates headlines.

By Gitobu Imanyara 1 month ago

Politics of promises and when leadership becomes a show off

Many were not made under pressure. They were not extracted by hostile journalists, demanded by protests, or forced by opposition politicians. They were volunteered.

By Gitobu Imanyara 1 month ago

Claims of police involvement in criminal activities are alarming

A man interviewed on TV alleged that some police officers operate alongside criminal gangs while dressed in plain clothes and were even involved in the All Saints Cathedral attack.

By Gitobu Imanyara 1 month ago

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When courts appear contradictory, Kenyans will pay the ultimate price

The Gachagua impeachment ruling has sparked debate on judicial consistency and public trust, raising concerns about fairness, constitutional rights, and legal clarity.

By Gitobu Imanyara 2 months ago

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If Ebola is too dangerous for the US, why is it safe enough for Kenya?

If Ebola poses enough risk to justify keeping exposed individuals away from the United States, why should the same risk be acceptable for Kenya?

By Gitobu Imanyara 2 months ago

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Debt deception: Why Kenyans must demand audit of Sh13 trillion burden

Every loan agreement, including bilateral infrastructure deals and Eurobonds, must be laid before Parliament and the public.

By Gitobu Imanyara 2 months ago

Why Kenya current reality defies the politics of ethnic animosity

Social media posts, like a widely shared reflection by Mwangi Khimani, warn of a calculated political strategy

By Gitobu Imanyara 2 months ago

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Delusion: When guests mistake African hospitality for hegemony

The recent "Africa Forward Summit" in Nairobi was marketed as the dawn of a "new model of partnership" between France and Africa.

By Gitobu Imanyara 2 months ago

Land question: Why we should resist nationalisation of property

Before independence, Africans were dispossessed of fertile land by the colonial state and reduced to squatters.

By Gitobu Imanyara 3 months ago

The ritual of voting amid the crisis of belief among voters

Elections become rituals without conviction, participation without faith.

By Gitobu Imanyara 3 months ago

Patriotism is not silence when citizens reject the government

A dangerous misunderstanding has crept into our public life, the idea that criticism of government is a betrayal of the country.

By Gitobu Imanyara 3 months ago

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When institutions fall, elections become engineered outcomes

The NPS, the DCI, the EACC, the Office of the DPP, the Judiciary, and sections of the media are increasingly perceived not as neutral arbiters but as tools of political strategy.

By Gitobu Imanyara 3 months ago

What MPs owe the media is more than money

There is an old temptation in politics, to praise the press in principle, use it in practice, and resent it the moment it begins to do its real work.

By Gitobu Imanyara 4 months ago

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When systems turn: What Tuju's case says about power in Kenya

Leaders often view power as permanent, or enduring enough to outlast the consequences of misuse. Political history shows its fragility. Power shifts. Alliances dissolve. Public sentiment evolves.

By Gitobu Imanyara 4 months ago

Yes, we need roads and railways, but not using a shadow Treasury

Kenya urgently needs infrastructure to unlock growth. But the question is not whether infrastructure financing is necessary.

By Gitobu Imanyara 4 months ago

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The presidency must not be the most expensive office in Kenya

A government that spends lavishly on itself sends a different message: power has become an end in itself.

By Gitobu Imanyara 5 months ago

Democracy on trial when an MP is punished for asking questions

During a parliamentary session earlier in the week, Speaker Moses Wetangula announced that MP Anthony Kabagendi had been suspended and must apologise before returning.

By Gitobu Imanyara 5 months ago

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Why Kenya should free the Treasury from grasp of State House

Kenya should separate Treasury control from State House to ensure fairer allocation of resources and accountable governance.

By Gitobu Imanyara 5 months ago

Why Nyota fund is a public debt being misused as party property

A public loan taken in the name of all Kenyans must never be dressed in party colours.

By Gitobu Imanyara 5 months ago

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Recycled tax relief and politics of pretence to hoodwink voters

The government is selling Kenyans a lie, sugarcoated for elections. It says an "amendment" will exempt 1.5 million workers earning Sh30,000 and below from PAYE.

By Gitobu Imanyara 6 months ago

Kindiki was right to condemn violence, prosecute the culprits

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki deserves credit for condemning violence in places of worship.

By Gitobu Imanyara 6 months ago

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We have normalised humiliation of children with a begging bowl

This single act, replicated in villages and towns, reveals a nation that has allowed its systems to fail, its promises to erode, and its most vulnerable to be paraded as proof of benevolence

By Gitobu Imanyara 6 months ago

Why do Kenyans applaud their ruin, reward bad governance?

A society that applauds mediocrity, excuses corruption, and mocks competence cannot change, no matter how many elections.

By Gitobu Imanyara 6 months ago

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The Luhya moment at Jirongo's funeral that we must be alive to

Kenya needs a Luhya political awakening not to threaten others but to contribute to balance.

By Gitobu Imanyara 7 months ago

Why Mt Kenya must resist attempts to divide it into East and West

The idea of "Mt Kenya East" and "Mt Kenya West" is not innocent cartography; it is political engineering meant to dilute collective influence and make domination easier.

By Gitobu Imanyara 7 months ago

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When slogans replace shame, the State has admitted failure

Nations do not collapse in a single dramatic moment. They erode quietly, through indifference to suffering.

By Gitobu Imanyara 7 months ago

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Demystifying Ruto's leadership style and Kenyans' expectations

Nearly every independent institution, Parliament, commissions, security agencies, and regulatory bodies have been bent toward the will of the Executive.

By Gitobu Imanyara 8 months ago

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How Kenya-US health agreement betrays our privacy and the law

President William Ruto signed a 25-year agreement that grants the US government real-time access to medical records of every Kenyan.

By Gitobu Imanyara 8 months ago

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When a nation starts importing voters, it stops being a republic

A man operating a cyber cafe, Hajur Mohamed Garat, was arrested for allegedly helping foreigners obtain Kenyan national identification documents: ID cards.

By Gitobu Imanyara 8 months ago

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Perils of empty promises amid unity forged by real hardships

Ruto can recite a polished speech. He stands tall, confidence unmistakable, the cameras fixed on him, the media primed, and headlines written before he utters the first sentence.

By Gitobu Imanyara 8 months ago

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Politics of darkness: Why power rationing is back

Ruto's rationing plan fits neatly into his broader governance pattern. He has rationed everything: hope, opportunity, and freedom. He runs a government on excuses.

By Gitobu Imanyara 8 months ago

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The price of truth in a nation of comfortable lies

To tell the truth is to invite hostility from those who profit from deception. In Kenya today, this ancient truth still holds.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

Tragedy of Tanzania's 98 per cent election, Africa's fake democracy

This hollowing out of democracy is the greatest political tragedy of our time, and it is not just that leaders cling to power; it is that citizens are beginning to lose faith in democracy itself.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

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Images of money-weighing men indicate moral rot, not progress

When wealth becomes spectacle and stupidity becomes status, a nation has begun its descent.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

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Tanzania mirrors what happens when peaceful people are pushed

Tanzanians are patient people, but patience is not infinite.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

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Why it's extremely unwise for citizens to give up on politics

Kenya's middle class, the group with the greatest potential to shape reform, often treats politics as a dirty game for others.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

Kenyans must outgrow tribe and elect value based leaders

Tribalism has hollowed out our democracy from within. It has made citizens choose leaders not for their ideas but for their surnames.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

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Those who hated and betrayed Raila now mourning the loudest

Baba's funeral was a battlefield for truth. It was a confrontation between memory and manipulation, between genuine loyalty and calculated political theatre.

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago

Ruto's Cybercrime law is foolish political war against Kenyans

President Ruto's obsession with control and fear is fast becoming the defining feature of his presidency

By Gitobu Imanyara 9 months ago