Is Kenya slipping back to kingpin politics?

By Sebastian Karani Asava

In 2024, we witnessed something magical — for once, Kenyans stood together not as tribes, not as political factions, but as a united force demanding dignity, justice, and accountability. The Gen Z-led revolt gave the country a glimpse of what unity without tribal strings looks like. No party uniforms, no political messiahs. Just Kenyans standing for what is right.

But barely a year later, that bold new chapter risks being erased. Slowly but surely, we are slipping back into the old political addiction: Kingpin politics — the belief that every region must have a political “godfather” to negotiate at the so-called “high table.” And once again, we're seeing communities rally behind individuals rather than ideas. We are forgetting that, When the enemy knows our leader, we can easily be defeated because they know who to bribe and buy our loyalty at a bargain.

It baffles the mind that in a country so bruised by ethnic division, so exhausted by unfulfilled promises, we still believe our salvation lies in a tribal spokesperson. That unless someone “from our community” is close to the president, we cannot access development. We forget that these kingpins are not fighting for us — they are bargaining for their own seat at the feast, leaving us hungry at the gates.

This toxic brand of politics is exactly what got us here.

When politicians campaign with slogans like “our turn to eat,” they don’t mean you and me — they mean themselves and a handful of loyalists. And so long as we allow our regions to be politically ‘owned’ by individuals who promise to speak on our behalf, we silence our own voices.

We accept crumbs while they pocket the loaf. We get into political fights for their stomachs unknowingly when they disagree with bidders 

Government after government has poured resources into appeasing these so-called regional kingpins. They are flown in, sat down, feasted, and offered state appointments or tenders — all in the name of securing a region’s political loyalty. Meanwhile, public hospitals rot, roads remain impassable, and our youth remain unemployed. The real mwananchi never makes it to that table.

What we witnessed in 2024 was a revolutionary shift: leaderless, tribeless, and partyless unity. It was raw, it was honest, and it rattled the system. The protests proved that Kenyans are more than their surnames or constituencies. We demanded to be seen as citizens, not voting blocks. That unity must not be forgotten or diluted by recycled politics. We cannot afford to start using phrases like, "Our Own Thief," we Must all call a spade a spade and not a big spoon 

The Gen Z model — driven by values, not village elders — was not just a moment. It was a message. We cannot claim to be angry at corruption and then line up behind the same individuals who have perfected political brokerage as an industry. We cannot call for justice while kneeling before those who led us into injustice. And we must stop trading our future for empty promises wrapped in tribal loyalty. At this moment and time, the Kibali Free Education should help us all decide what is best for our country not rent our minds and thinking to an individual in the name of KINGPIN.

The time has come to say it plainly: Kenya does not need kingpins. Kenya needs systems that works for all. We need leaders who are accountable to the Constitution, not to their clans. We need development driven by planning and policy, not by proximity to power. We need unity built on needs, not names. And we need young people — the digital generation — to keep rejecting the old ways even when the old ways try to wear new clothes.

No more kingpins. No more tribal bargaining. No more eating on our behalf.

Let us revive that brave spirit of 2024. Let us return to that space where our demands were based on rights, not relationships. Because if we do not, we risk falling right back into the very pit we fought to climb out of.

And this time, the betrayal will not be by the kingpins — it will be by us, for letting them back in.