Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni has blamed the lack of civic education for widespread misunderstanding of the 2010 Constitution, arguing that better public knowledge would prevent politicians from misleading citizens about constitutional provisions.

Speaking on a local media station on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, Kioni emphasised that insufficient civic education has left many Kenyans unaware of the powers granted to them by the Constitution and vulnerable to political manipulation.

“Civic education was never fully integrated into the implementation of the 2010 Constitution,” Kioni said.

The former Ndaragwa MP explained that the 2010 Constitution was designed to take control away from politicians, particularly the executive, but noted that the political class continues to gravitate toward executive power.

“Remember why we were clamouring for a new constitution is because we were taking that control, not just political control, but literally the control of our lives from the hearts of politicians and more from the hands of the executive,” he stated.

Impeachment provisions

Using impeachment as an example, Kioni illustrated how lack of civic education allows politicians to mislead the public about constitutional provisions.

“If we had civic education, we would actually understand what being impeached at our 2010 2010 constitution means, and we would not be seeing governors or even other people trying to run around and saying that they can run once impeached,” he explained.

He emphasised that impeached officials should understand they cannot continue mobilising public support after being declared unfit for office.

“The constitution, if Kenyans have been educated well, they will know that once impeached, you are actually being told you cannot start galvanising people behind you. Because you are only going to mislead them, taking them where the constitution has declared you as unfit to ever hold a public office,” Kioni stated.

The Jubilee SG admitted that even political leaders continue learning about constitutional provisions, often through court interpretations.

“Including myself, there are many articles in the constitution that I continue understanding every time, perhaps it’s taken to the high court, but there is more work to be done by the civil society,” he said.

Call to action

Kioni stressed that civil society must take the lead in civic education since the executive cannot be expected to educate citizens about constitutional limits on its power.

“There is more work to be done by the civil society because you never expect the executive to do this, and it is also not something that is a one-off thing,” he stated.

He argued that the political class will never voluntarily reduce its own power, making civic education crucial for empowering citizens.

“The political class will never sit to take away power from itself, and the media, the civil society, and Kenyans themselves must continue,” Kioni concluded.