Blogs and Opinions

Blog

When Manifestos Meet the Constitution: The Second Life of Political Promises

12 Aug 2026 Loise Mwakamba

Election campaigns are, by design, exercises in political imagination. They invite citizens to envision a different future, offering competing narratives about the role of the …

Blog

Why Citizens must be at the Centre of the Conversation on Campaign & Political Financing

5 Aug 2026 Loise Mwakamba

Last week, Kenyans were treated to a peculiar occurrence. Instead of politicians handing out cash to citizens, the tables were turned and the politicians could …

Blog

Why Silence in Parliament is Costly and Breaks all Social Contracts

16 Feb 2026 Loise Mwakamba

Mzalendo Trust recently unveiled its improved website that features detailed data on Kenyan legislators’ performance. This data includes their voting data so far into the …

Blog

The Place of Digital Tools in Enabling Kenya's Democracy

26 Sep 2025 Loise Mwakamba

Over the last couple of years, the digital space has been a consistent topic of discussion. Most of those discussions have analysed the importance of …

Blog

Rebuilding Public Trust in Kenya through Meaningful Participation

22 Jul 2025 Loise Mwakamba

“When the people are not part of the decisions that affect their lives, democracy is only skin deep.”

Blog

Of Endings and Beginnings: Kenya’s Moment to Re-imagine Its Political Future

14 Jul 2025 Loise Mwakamba

In 1963, Kenya broke free from colonial rule and gained independence. What followed was the tyranny of a one-party state; a period marked by repression …

Blog

Silencing Expression: Growing Trends of Getting Slapped

26 Jun 2025 Loise Mwakamba

Introduction

Blog

Preparing for “Uchaguzi” 2027

21 Mar 2025 Loise Mwakamba

As Kenya transitions into the pre-election phase of the 2027 electoral cycle, significant developments are underway. The process of reconstructing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries …

Blog

Extension of term Limits: A distraction or a strategic power grab?

25 Oct 2024 Loise Mwakamba

As debate swirls around the proposal to extend term limits, many wonder if this move is merely a distraction from pressing national issues or a …

Blog

Will the shift from NHIF to SHIF result in a significant change, or will it be a case of "same monkeys, different forest

4 Oct 2024 Loise Mwakamba

The debate surrounding Kenya's transition from National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) centres on the question of whether a mere …

Blog

Inclusivity in Kenya: Reviewing efforts of the Gendered Lens approach

27 Aug 2024 Loise Mwakamba

Today marks fourteen years since promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya (2010) within which a two-thirds gender principle was adopted. Unfortunately, legal experts, civil society organizations, media …

Blog

Public Participation: The Tax Collector's Nightmare

9 Aug 2024 Loise Mwakamba

On 23rd February 2024, Mzalendo Trust published a blog titled, “Is Null & Void the new budget line for Mwananchi’s taxes.?” In the blog, Mzalendo highlighted among other …