Broad-based government is grand deception disguised as inclusivity

President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga after signing a political agreement at KICC, Nairobi, on March 7, 2025. [File, Standard]

The so-called broad-based government being engineered by President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga is not a political masterstroke-it is a betrayal of the people. While it is being framed as an effort to foster national unity, the reality is that this move is about self-preservation, political patronage and entrenching a culture of elite deal-making at the expense of ordinary Kenyans.

Kenya was promised a lean, efficient government. Instead, what we are witnessing is an expansion of government offices to accommodate political allies and neutralise opposition voices. This is not leadership-it is deceit of the highest order.