Political stagnation is here and Kenyans will pay a heavy price

President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua chat during a past event. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Kenya, at a critical stage of its democratic progression, faces political stagnation - a state of affairs that could slow its progress and leave its citizens grappling with unfulfilled promises of a centralist regime.

This risk is not unfounded but is rooted in a series of contradictions and systemic issues that have emerged under the Kenya Kwanza government. For starters, there's the persistent narrative about the economy: the government acknowledges the weight of inherited debt and empty coffers, forecasting a grim outlook for the immediate reduction in the cost of living. Yet, in the same breath, it asserts that the economy has stabilised - a claim at odds with the tangible hardships experienced by the populace.