Seasoned political analyst Herman Manyora has faulted the move by President William Ruto to sign the eight controversial bills on the day the country was mourning the death of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Speaking during an interview on his channel on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Manyora expressed his fury over how President Ruto handled the bills, saying the timing could not have been worse.

He argued that even without reading the bills, it was obvious that such actions would spark contention.

“Even without reading the bill, the timing of signing the bill could never have been worse,” Manyora said.

Manyora pointed out that immediately after it was confirmed that Raila was dead, and knowing who Raila was, the President went ahead to sign the bills as if he was under any obligation to do so.

He emphasised that this was not about duty, and the President should know better, adding that he is not being truthful with Kenyans.

“You know, something is likely to be contentious, then immediately after it is confirmed, Raila is dead, and knowing who Raila is. And those who didn’t know now know we used to tell him Raila was not a normal human being. They have seen what we used to tell them was right, the government, and in this particular case, President Ruto, knowing very well that President Raila’s death has just come about. People are just getting to know it.” Manyora added.

He stated that if the bills were indeed good, there was enough time to sign them and questioned the rush.

He explained that if the President takes no action within 14 days, the bills automatically become law. Therefore, he wondered why the President felt compelled to sign contentious bills right after Raila Odinga’s death.

Message to Ruto

Manyora concluded by saying that the President and his advisors must be guided to handle such matters better in the future.

“If the person wants to change something, he must do it within 14 days. But if he does nothing after 14 days or something, it becomes law. Okay, so where is the hurry? How can you sign a bill as contentious at that immediately after the death of Raila Odinga? That is, it’s a no-brainer, so the President and his advisors must be told to do things in a better way,” Manyora added.

There comes a time when the bills signed by President Ruto have led to a widespread reaction from Kenyans.