NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 19 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has challenged President William Ruto’s assertion that freedom and democracy are meaningless without development, insisting that fundamental rights and freedoms must remain central to Kenya’s governance.
In a post on his X account, Sifuna argued that the right to life and fundamental freedoms are prioritised in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights for a reason.
“It’s actually the other way round Mr. President. There is a reason the right to life and the fundamental freedoms come first in the Bill of Rights,” Sifuna stated.
The senator invoked the deaths of Rex Maasai and Albert Ojwang to underscore his argument, saying Kenyans want to live in a free and democratic country where their rights are protected.
“More than anything else we want to live in a free and democratic country because in the dark of the grave where you put Rex Maasai and Albert Ojwang, you can’t see shiny things,” he added.
Sifuna’s remarks were in response to Ruto, who on Sunday, October 18, 2026, argued that freedom and democracy must deliver tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
Speaking during a church service in Kapsabet, Nandi County, the President said the freedoms Kenyans fought for would be meaningless if they did not contribute to national development and improved living standards.
The exchange highlights a political debate over the relationship between economic development, democratic freedoms and the protection of fundamental rights as the country approaches the 2027 General Election.
