Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto, accusing him of weakening Kenya’s Constitution and undermining independent institutions.

Speaking during a radio interview on Thursday, April 24, 2025, Sifuna expressed concern that key democratic structures, designed to operate independently, were now compromised.

The firebrand politician claimed that the president and some leaders in government had never fully accepted the 2010 Constitution and have since worked to dismantle the systems it put in place.

“There are people who have always had issues with this Constitution. They never believed in independent institutions, and they’ve done everything they can to compromise them, making it difficult for these institutions to function as they were designed to,” Sifuna said.

According to the senator, this trend began as early as 2013, when lawmakers under the Jubilee Party started prioritizing political loyalty over their constitutional role.

“This started in 2013, when members of the National Assembly elected under the Jubilee Party began acting as though their role in Parliament was to defend their political party. But that is not what the framers of this Constitution envisioned. They saw Parliament as an institution meant to provide oversight over both the county and national governments,” he added.

Sifuna further pointed out that President Ruto had openly opposed the 2010 Constitution during its drafting and referendum stages. He argued that a leader who did not believe in the Constitution would have little incentive to protect or implement its values.

“It is on record that people like William Ruto opposed it. If it is something that he did not believe in, he would not make it work. There are people in government who think their job is to protect their president,” he said.

No respect for devolution

The senator also accused the president of failing to uphold and defend devolution, which is a key pillar of the 2010 Constitution. He said Ruto had instead become an obstacle to devolved governance.

“We have not seen the President defending devolution. He has become an enemy of it. He has national roads to manage, and even those have overwhelmed him. So he should leave county roads to the governors, as required by the Constitution,” Sifuna noted.

He also accused National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah of turning a blind eye to the challenges facing county governments.

“The Leader of the Majority in the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, has said nothing in defence of devolution. Every time he rises to speak in the House, he tries to portray governors as the problem with devolution,” Sifuna added.

Sifuna warned that the country is headed in a dangerous direction if these constitutional issues are not addressed urgently.

“But mark my words, if you engage with these issues, you’ll see that this country is in serious trouble,” the senator stated.