By Eddah Waithaka
Prominent Kenyan civil society leaders issued a stark warning Tuesday, calling on citizens to defend democracy and hold institutions accountable to prevent violent, disputed elections in 2027.
Speaking at a national symposium, Chapter Four CEO Ms. Njeri Kabeberi and constitutional litigation specialist Evans Ogada framed the coming poll as a critical test for a region backsliding into authoritarianism.
The event, titled “Securing Human Rights Before the Ballot: Lessons for Kenya 2027,” shifted focus to the precarious months before voting.
Organizers highlighted a troubling regional pattern of pre-election repression, using stark examples from neighboring nations.
“We saw a president disrespectful of human rights and elections, jailing the opposition prior to the polls in Tanzania,” said Ms. Kabeberi, referencing one of East Africa’s traditionally stable nations.
“Uganda has been tragic for East Africa, the main opposition leader remains in jail, an embarrassment to the region.”
She saved her sharpest criticism for a leader securing a 43-year tenure past the age of 90. “Doesn’t that country have younger people? Doesn’t it have other generations that can lead?” she asked.
Ms. Kabeberi positioned Kenya as a regional beacon now at risk, recalling how the country hosted fledgling governments for Somalia and South Sudan.
“We cannot lose Kenya to politicians,” she declared. “Politicians are supposed to be stewards, not to drain it and not to mess it. We are watching you and we are not going to take the nonsense you are bringing into this country lying down.”
She issued a direct challenge to Kenya’s independent constitutional commissions, known as Chapter 15 bodies, including the electoral and anti-corruption agencies.
“They have forgotten their role,” she stated. “If they are not able to defend the nation… they should quietly resign.”
Constitutional lawyer Evans Ogada underscored the urgency, pointing to recent violent by-elections as a dire warning. “If we have this on a mass scale come 2027, we will not have general elections, but we will have shambolic and sham elections,” he said.
Ogada delivered a blunt message to security and electoral officials. “You swear an individual oath We expect you to do what is right.” He reminded them that “criminal sanction does not go away,” urging them to act impartially to avoid future legal accountability.
The symposium, supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom – East Africa, aims to forge preventive strategies.
It features keynote addresses by former electoral commission chair Dr. Isaac Ahmed Hassan and renowned lawyer Prof. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba.Ms. Kabeberi framed the next 18 months as decisive.
“We must recover what we have lost since 2024,” she urged, calling on all Kenyans to speak out. “When the government is silent, the citizens must speak out. This is the moment.”
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