Mukhwana Writes

By Micah Mukhwana Namunyu In the 1990s and early 2000s, Africa was seen as a growing democracy. Countries across the continent embraced multiparty elections and regional bodies like the AU and ECOWAS supported constitutional rule and civilian leadership. The African Charter on Democracy (2007) even outlawed military coups. But in recent years, this progress has reversed. Between 2020 and 2024, at least six coups happened in the Sahel—Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger among them. Military leaders took over, suspended constitutions and promised to fix things. Unlike the coups of the 1970s and 1980s, these ones are also openly rejecting Western influence and creating their own alliance, the AES. The bigger question now is whether these coups signal deeper problems with Western led development models in Africa. Challenging the Usual System These military governments have kicked out French troops, cut ties with ECOWAS and are now working more with Russia, Turkey and China. They say civilian gove...

In a mature democracy such as USA political campaigns are primarily funded through a combination of individual donations, political action committees (PACs), and sometimes public funding.  David Maraga, CJ emeritus is a potential presidential candidate in 2027 elections. His plans to fund his campaign effectively by relying on small, grassroots contributions from ordinary Kenyans, starting as low as KSh 10 or 50, rather than depending on wealthy donors or political elites is liberating.  By engaging with communities through nationwide town hall meetings and collaborating with influencers like musicians and content creators to appeal to younger voters, Maraga aims to create a people-driven movement. It is exactly what Kenya should embrace, to do away with garbage in, garbage out in Kenya's political campaigns.  We no longer need stolen money being used to mobilize us, we need Kenyans to fund their own candidates just the same way USA does. 

  The president’s recent directive to police on July 9, 2025, following the Saba Saba demonstration, aims to curb violence but leaves uncertainty about who incites looting to discredit the Gen Z protests. Without clear evidence identifying the culprits, whether opportunists or state-sponsored goons, is a tall order. This directive, according to me, risks punishing innocent demonstrators, something that troubles me deeply, as it could escalate an already volatile situation. Most Gen Z protesters are always driven by frustration over economic hardship and police brutality; they demonstrate peacefully and do not deserve such harsh measures from the government. For instance, Albert Ojwang's case, a blogger who was killed in a police cell last month for criticising police brutality, and Bridget Njoki Wainaina, a civilian who was shot dead by a stray bullet on July 7, 2025, in Nairobi. This shows the tragic loss of innocent people not involved in looting or violence. How can such situati...