Leaders call for stronger institutions to rebuild public trust in government

The call was made during a governance and public institutions roundtable co-convened by Mzalendo Trust, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Kenya and the State Department for Foreign Affairs ahead of the inaugural Trust Summit: Nairobi Dialogues on Global Trust, scheduled for October 21-23, 2026.

The meeting was the second in a series of pre-Summit roundtables, following a consultative breakfast with regulatory institutions held on June 30, 2026.

Held on Katiba Day under the theme, “Building Trust and Renewing the Social Contract through Constitutionalism, Good Governance, and Effective Public Institutions,” the roundtable examined the factors contributing to declining public trust, including corruption, weak accountability, poor service delivery and threats to the independence of oversight institutions.

Opening the meeting, Mzalendo Trust Executive Director Caroline Gaita said public trust was fundamental to a functioning democracy and depended on institutions and leaders acting in the public interest.

“Trust is the bedrock of democracy, the foundation of which must be rooted in the belief that political institutions and leaders act in the best interest of the public,” Gaita said.

She said trust also depended on the rule of law, credible electoral processes and governance structures that respond to citizens’ needs.

“Government must do the job for which it exists: protecting them and promoting their common welfare,” she said.

From dialogue to practical action

Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Dr Korir Sing’Oei said Kenya’s experience demonstrated the need to continuously examine the relationship between institutional design and public trust.

He noted that the country’s constitutional framework was deliberately designed to restore confidence in public institutions through stronger systems of oversight and governance.

“We created institutions of oversight and governance designed to ensure that we can trust. Yet, as we celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Constitution, we must ask ourselves why, despite a constitutional architecture created to enable trust, we find ourselves in a place where there is perhaps less trust,” Sing’Oei said.

Participants called for stronger safeguards for independent oversight institutions, greater transparency in public finances and increased youth participation in governance.

They also examined wider pressures affecting democratic governance across Africa, including political polarisation and the shrinking civic space.

Strathmore University Vice Chancellor Dr Vincent Ogutu described trust as a relationship built on shared expectations between citizens, institutions and leaders.

“Trust matters, because we have expectations. We want a better world. We feel we deserve it. And we're doing our part, and then we expect everyone else to do their part,” Ogutu said.

He said trust was rooted in the expectation that citizens and institutions would play their respective roles in working towards a better future.

The roundtable brought together representatives of constitutional and oversight institutions, civil society and civic organisations, including Siasa Place Executive Director Nerima Wako, Bajeti Hub Executive Director Dr Abraham Rugo, Auditor-General FCPA Margaret Nyakang’o, the Financial Reporting Centre and OGP Co-Chair and Board member Steph Muchai.

Katiba Day puts constitutionalism in focus

The meeting, held on Katiba Day to mark the anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, reaffirmed the importance of the National Values and Principles of Governance set out under Article 10.

Organisers said the roundtable forms part of a series of engagements aimed at testing the Trust Summit’s themes against realities across different sectors.

The discussions are intended to shift the focus from diagnosing Kenya’s trust deficit to identifying practical reforms capable of strengthening institutions and restoring confidence between citizens and government.