'Ruto Must Go' and Foucault's 'refusal to be governed' counsel

President William Ruto at Ngarachi Comprehensive School in Laikipia West during the beginning of his tour of the Mt. Kenya region on April 1, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

"Freedom," wrote Michel Foucault, "is the refusal to be governed." He wasn't speaking of anarchy or disorder. He was naming something deeper to resist imposed systems of rule and to insist on more dignified, participatory forms of governance. In its many forms, that refusal is alive and well in Kenya.

More and more, Kenyans are showing they are in the mood to push boundaries. We are no longer simply asking for better governance. We are resisting the structures and practices that continue to shut people out of decisions affecting their lives. The refusal to be governed in the current political moment is a desire to expand civic space, challenge political impunity, and demand inclusion where there has been exclusion.