From gender equality to public participation, the promises Kenya has yet to keep

Women MPs led by Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris condemn former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over attacks targeting women leaders at Parliament buildings in Nairobi on August 25, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

When Kenyans voted for the 2010 Constitution, they promised themselves a new Kenya founded on equality, accountability, devolution and citizen participation.

Sixteen years later, some of those promises remain elusive, with courts repeatedly reminding state institutions that constitutional obligations are not optional.