The United opposition has used the 62nd their pre-Jamhuri Day address to deliver a critique of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Accusing President William Ruto’s government of “quietly auctioning the Republic” through what he termed opaque asset sales, the opposition argued that the president has compromised institutions and effected a systematic erosion of sovereignty.
The Ruto administration has on several occasions dismissed the claims, saying that Kenya needs innovative financing models away from traditional taxation.
Reading a United Opposition statement, the DAP leader Eugene Wamalwa framed Jamhuri Day as “a solemn witness to the blood, courage and sacrifice that built the Republic,” warning that the freedoms secured by independence heroes were now in jeopardy.
“Independence was never a gift. It was earned through blood, sweat and relentless courage,” he said. “The Republic belongs to the people, and it is our sacred duty to defend it.”
He invoked the legacy of the Kapenguria Six, Dedan Kimathi, Mekatilili wa menza and other liberation icons to argue that today’s threats were not foreign, but internal. “This is not economic reform; this is internal neocolonialism, a quiet auctioning of our sovereignty,” the statement declared.
At the centre of his attack are government plans to privatise key national assets. “Safaricom, our national crown jewel, had 15 per cent of its shares sold at a fraction of their true value. Kenya Pipeline has been threatened with privatisation. JKIA has been compromised in management decisions, favouring profit over national security,” he said.
Musing that courts had already intervened on cases involving Safaricom, Kenya Pipeline and JKIA—alongside the US–Kenya health deal—Wamalwa argued these legal challenges exposed “the intention of this nefarious regime… a step-by-step erosion of sovereignty.”
He accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of presiding over “shambolic” by-elections on November 27, saying IEBC chair Erastus Etherkon “shockingly purported they were free and fair,” despite observer reports citing irregularities. The opposition demanded action against several politicians and government officials he claimed were involved in electoral offences.
Turning to the worsening drought, he condemned the alleged use of relief food to influence voting. “What kind of regime is this, leaving real drought victims exposed while using rice, beans, blankets and mattresses to bribe voters?” he asked, calling for urgent national and international intervention.
The opposition, he said, would push for a stronger disaster-response framework and immediate commencement of the animal offtake programme to cushion pastoralist communities.
“Kenya shall not be sold. Kenya shall not be auctioned. Kenya shall not be recolonised— not by outsiders, not by insiders, not by anyone,” the statement concluded, framing the United Opposition as the last line of defence for the Republic
