Category: Editorial

7 August 1998 is one of those days – and events – where one can be asked where they were when it happened, and more likely than not, the memory won’t be pleasant. Most were going about their day when a breaking news item popped up on their TV screens, announcing the twin bombings of…

Mr Vice President, In contemporary Kenyan history, no one individual holds the record of being running-mate in as many elections as yourself, particularly in instances where you weren’t seeking reelection. That you were running mate to the same individual, Raila Odinga, on the two occasions when your joint ticket sought the presidency, 2013 and 2017,…

Waziri, When Raila Odinga named you as his running mate on 16 May 2022, Kenya and the world lit up because all indications were that with the election being Odinga’s to lose, you were a heartbeat away from becoming Kenya’s first woman deputy president. The excitement, palpable across the country, wasn’t simply because Odinga had…

Daktari, A country doesn’t encounter your lot often, intellectuals who move beyond theorising by folding their sleeves and stepping into the arena, not as politicians but as the politician’s mind (and hopefully conscience), the politician’s politician. In your case, and without overestimating your play within Kenya Kwanza, you come across as a one-man politburo, a…

Mr Prime Cabinet Secretary, For the longest time, you’ve been referred to as the gentleman of Kenyan politics, mostly because of your candour and demeanour. From the time you went into competitive politics and straight into Cabinet in 1989 aged 29, you’ve managed to escape the first trap most Kenyan politicians fall into, that of…

Mr Deputy President, Few people have had the singular honour you’ve been bestowed upon by the gods – you would say by God – of working closely with three individuals who at the time of your interactions were either presidents or presidents-to-be. Considering that Kenya has had only five presidents, it means you’ve worked closely…

Mr President, Forgive us for what we’re about to do. At a time such as this, when the voices of charlatans and court jesters flood the streets of your mind – as they would the mind of anyone sitting in your seat – getting your ear may not be the easiest of things to do.…