NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi has sounded the alarm over what he describes as the creeping return of excessive presidential authority in Kenya’s governance, warning that hard-fought democratic gains could be at risk.
Speaking at the People’s Dialogue Festival at Uhuru Park on Wednesday, Murungi lamented that despite past constitutional reforms aimed at curbing executive dominance, the presidency continues to overshadow other arms of government.
“The presidency was shrouded by so much mystique and mystery that whatever you wrote in the constitution could not affect the psychological impact of the presidency,” Murungi said, recalling Kenya’s long history of executive overreach.
He warned that this centralization of power is making a comeback, stifling the independence of the judiciary, the legislature, and other democratic institutions.
“I feel the trend is coming back again,” he said. “We must recognize these patterns before they erode the little space we have for democracy.”
Beyond concerns about presidential power, Murungi also took aim at Kenya’s political parties, accusing them of failing to comply with the Political Parties Act and lacking meaningful grassroots presence.
“There is a lot of lying and cheating in political parties,” he said. “You can go to the counties and see how many offices actually exist. Sometimes, it’s a closed shop—it doesn’t open, but it has party colors. And nothing happens inside.”
He argued that many parties operate in name only, maintaining a symbolic presence while lacking real engagement with the electorate.
This, he warned, weakens democracy by reducing political participation to a game of elite maneuvering rather than a representative process.
Murungi also criticized the financial barriers that hinder young people from joining politics, singling out the Ksh20,000 registration fee required to establish a party as an unnecessary obstacle.
“The law is discriminatory against the youth,” he said. “Where do you get Ksh20,000 just to register a party?”
