Tragedies expose country's broken systems and political hypocrisy

An aerial view of Wilson Airport in Nairobi. [File, Standard] A spate of tragic incidents involving prominent Kenyans in recent weeks appear to have reawakened the nation's conscience, reigniting calls for reforms to address the systemic challenges ordinary citizens grapple with daily, challenges that those in power have long chosen to ignore. Some Kenyans, however, dismiss the renewed political activism as selfishness or even hypocrisy, pointing to the prior silence before the shoe was on the other foot. On the calm evening of Friday, March 20, a passenger flight left Kisumu International Airport for Wilson Airport in Nairobi with 39 people on board. The takeoff was smooth. The landing, however, was turbulent. Upon touchdown at 8:55 PM, the aircraft veered off the runway and skidded into the grass, narrowly averting what could have been a catastrophe. Among the passengers was Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who had, notably, petitioned the Senate just a week earlier to probe the poor state of Wilson Airport. "The passengers were crying, fearing a serious crash. The pilot managed to pull the plane off the runway-I think that's what saved us," Osotsi said after the incident. He urged action: "The government must address safety at this airport. It's a disaster waiting to happen." He flagged the lack of a standby emergency team, poor drainage that flooded the runway and faulty lighting that increased risk. A Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing reported last month that the airport faces "serious operational and safety challenges," citing ageing infrastructure, encroachment blocking flight paths and weak regulatory enforcement. Unreliable power, limited parking and barely functioning screening and baggage systems have only added to passengers' woes. The government estimates that 900,000 travellers pass through Wilson Airport each year, all exposed to the same risks. Former Attorney General Justin Muturi has emerged as one of President William Ruto's most vocal critics. The separation came after Muturi's son, Leslie, was allegedly abducted by National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents during the peak of the June 2024 Gen Z protests against the Finance Bill. Muturi confronted the President and security agencies head-on, a stance that ultimately cost him his cabinet seat. "I was fortunate. When my son was abducted, I was able to reach the President and within an hour, my son was safely back home," he said at the time. No remorse Critics, however, have been quick to point out that Muturi spent a decade as Speaker of the National Assembly, from 2013 to 2022, with little apparent urgency to address the abuses. According to Missing Voices, a coalition of rights groups, 55 cases of enforced disappearances were reported in 2024, largely due to the anti-government protests, compared to six last year. In recent times, some Kenyans have shown no remorse when politicians find themselves on the receiving end of the same systemic failures they long ignored. Tiaty MP William Kamket, usually a firebrand, was a broken father on March 23 at the graveside of his 13-year-old son, Bill Ballot Kassait, who died from chest complications. "I am told the medication was issued improperly, without proper tests. Why?" he demanded. "When my son arrived at the hospital, he needed an urgent X-ray, but it was delayed. Why did it take so long? These are the questions I want Gertrude's Hospital to answer." He pledged to petition Parliament over persistent medical negligence and to speak for the parents who had suffered in silence. Public hospitals report financial strain, shortages of essential medical supplies and personnel, and chronic overcrowding. Still, many leaders often fly out of the country for treatment, a privilege not enjoyed by many Kenyans. In February last year, MPs voted down a motion by nominated lawmaker Sabina Chege that would have compelled civil servants, public officers and state officers to use public hospitals to ensure hospitals were properly resourced. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta once dismissed critical press coverage. "Gazeti ni ya kufunga nyama (newspapers are good for wrapping meat)," he declared at a rally in Bomet on May 11, 2015. The remark left a culture in which state officials attack the credibility of journalists over uncomfortable reporting, while others justify restrictions on press freedom. However, when his son Jomo Kenyatta's Karen residence was raided on July 21, 2023, by individuals believed to be officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), allegedly searching for illegal firearms, he turned to the media. In the run-up to the 2022 General Election, former Deputy President and the then Kenya Kwanza running mate Rigathi Gachagua was relentless with his attacks on the media. Speaking during a function in Nyeri, Gachagua claimed that the media was notorious for misconstruing the truth and selling falsehoods. He also insinuated that the media was biased towards the late former prime Minister Raila Odinga's candidature for presidency, vowing that the Kenya Kwanza administration would win the election with or without the support. "...you know how the media twists the truth. We say one thing, they take it, turn it around and say another thing...but I want to tell them that we are going to win this election without the support of the newspapers," he roared. And true to his word, shortly after the President William Ruto-led regime took over the reins of power, Gachagua continued his attack on the media. In June 2023, Gachagua made headlines after he expressed support for vile utterances made by then Trade CS Moses Kuria against the media. Verbal attack In a series of tweets between June 18 and June 20, 2023, Kuria called a local media company's employees "prostitutes," accusing its journalists of corruption and bias, and promised to publish the names of the writers who have confessed to being coerced to write anti-government stories" in a "scheme" by editors, management and "a former president." The actions came after the media house's print publications and its broadcaster, NTV, carried reports alleging government officials' involvement in a corrupt scheme to import duty-free cooking oil that cost taxpayers billions of shillings. Gachagua shockingly supported the verbal attack. "You (the media) have seen nothing! We want to urge leaders in this country to join Moses Kuria and tell the media to account. You have been hitting us (politicians) left, right and centre, you have been having a field day for too long...you must be accountable for what you write," he stated, during a graduation ceremony at Kenyatta University. Fast forward to 2024, the impeachment sword fell on Gachagua and he suddenly had a Damascus moment. At the height of his impeachment trial, Gachagua praised the media, claiming that without it, the country would slide back to dictatorship under the leadership of Ruto. "I want to thank you the media for your coverage of the shoddy public participation on my impeachment motion because you exposed it for what it was. You guys are wonderful, no wonder you are called the Fourth Estate. We do not know where this country would go without you. We would have so much impunity and would go back to dictatorship without the media. I want to encourage you to continue being the people's watchdog," stated the embattled Gachagua during a televised interview in Karen on October 7, 2024. He has since moved on to become a darling of the media, holding a plethora of media interviews where he has incessantly laid bare his issues with the current regime. Then there is former CS Fred Matiang'i, who is the current Jubilee Party Deputy Party leader and flag bearer for the 2027 General Election. Matiang'i has been castigating the excesses of the Kenya Kwanza administration, including human rights violations, but during his tenure as the Interior Cabinet Secretary, he faced similar accusations. Since his return to the political scene, he has called out the Ruto administration over issues such as attacks targeted against the opposition. Speaking during a rally in Kisii county four months ago, Matiang'i warned that the current administration could not "shoot its way to stability", insisting that the use of force would only heighten political tension instead of resolving it. He has also criticised the June 25, 2025, killing of at least 15 people during the first anniversary of the Gen-Z protests. "When you see a government accommodating goons and bribing citizens, that is the beginning of the end. It should not militarise the same people it is supposed to lead," he said. His attempts to point out the current regime's rights abuses are consistently met with questions about the enforced disappearances during his tenure, and the bodies discovered in River Yala during his tenure as the Interior Security CS. But in his defence, he has denied any involvement with the dumping of 36 bodies retrieved from the River Yala during his tenure. He has also called for a public inquest into extra-judicial killings in the country.

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