'Broad-based government' that chokes citizens' voice bad for democracy

President William Ruto and ODM leader Oburu Oginga at a past event. [File, Standard]

Kenya spent over Sh40 billion on the 2022 General Election. This is public money. Taxpayer's money. We spent it on elections. And then, within two years, the Opposition joined the government it had campaigned against. We must ask ourselves a hard question. What was the point?

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 is one of the finest democratic documents in the region. It was written in flesh and blood in the aftermath of 2007 communal disharmony. Kenyans died for it. Article 1 is unambiguous. It declares that all sovereign power belongs to the people. The people exercise that power through their elected representatives. Elections are the instrument through which that power is expressed. They are not a formality or a ritual. They are the voice of the citizens.