People’s Economy First: A Call For Economic Liberation, Dignity And A New Social Compact For Kenya In 2026
The Mt Kenya Times By Ndung’u Wainaina
First, I wish all sovereign people of Kenya a healthy, safe, humane, and dignified New Year 2026.
The year 2025 was one of the most difficult periods for the majority of Kenyans. Economic and financial life became deeply traumatizing, painful, and filled with tears. More than 87% of Kenyans were unable to meet their basic needs and financial obligations.
Key social sectors—especially education and health—were left in tatters. Our democracy faced persistent assault and regression, leaving Kenya an unequal and only partially free country.
It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that President William Ruto has become the greatest existential threat to our Constitution, democracy, and economy. He ferociously abhors dissent, criticism, and independent thought, presiding over a one-man show governance system.
The so-called Hustler Economy narrative is irrevocably dead. It was a grand political lie. Hustlers have been betrayed, abandoned, and crushed. President Ruto has relapsed into old, dubious politics marked by unhinged and endless promises.
Yet Kenya is home to hardworking, industrious, and entrepreneurial people. Kenyans do not give up easily. They turn turbulence into resilience. Their hope is not passive—it is faith in action. This is what continues to sustain the nation.
The country faces enormous challenges: fiscal pressure, economic strain, inequality, bad governance, and limited job opportunities. While macroeconomic indicators suggest stability, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. Microeconomics is dead—crippled by recession and stagflation.
Families and businesses are economically devastated. Incomes, jobs, and livelihoods have not merely been constrained; they have been destroyed.
Kenya is now at high risk of debt distress, with more than 70% of national revenue consumed by unscrupulous debt servicing. The fiscal deficit remains high. Private sector investment has declined sharply. Industries have lost momentum, with many shutting down. Critical sectors—agriculture, construction, and services—are slowing, with further deceleration looming. The so-called Bottom-Up Economic Model has degenerated into a political hoax defined by pain and misery.
Kenya is experiencing growth without broad-based economic transformation. Many citizens are demanding a new direction—one rooted in inclusive, responsive, and people-centered economic growth.
The current growth model—state-led, debt-financed, and hostile to private enterprise—must end.
This is the moment for fundamental economic liberation. Political freedoms are hollow without economic freedoms. Kenya needs a bold Economic Bill of Rights to spark a true economic revolution and establish a new social compact fit for the 21st century.
A different economy is possible. People’s Economy First is a new economic and fiscal compact built on debt-free development, human capital, strong institutions, innovation, and entrepreneurial energy.
This is an economy driven by investment in people, productivity, and enterprise—where citizens can earn, save, and prosper under a credible government that enjoys legitimacy and trust. You cannot grow an economy by taxing poverty. Taxation must be the result of value creation, not extraction.
Kenya must undergo a decisive transformation. We have a progressive constitutional order undermined by a rotten political system. This is a pivotal generational, demographic, and political moment—one that must deliver human and economic freedoms beyond survival mode.
The country needs a new economic model anchored on high productivity, skilled and healthy human capital, competitiveness, and innovation. Smarter public spending and efficient capital allocation are essential. Revenue must be mobilized fairly, with lower taxes and minimal regulatory burdens.
The private sector must be empowered by ending excessive government domestic borrowing, removing unnecessary regulations, and reducing the cost of credit. Education and training must be accessible, affordable, and of high quality to build a skilled workforce.
Kenya must position itself as a connector country—leveraging its strategic location, its people, and the emerging multipolar global order—to unlock a new era of economic dignity and limitless possibilities.
Energy costs must fall drastically by dismantling cartel-driven pricing structures and addressing capacity inefficiencies. Strategic investment in green energy and the green economy will be central to the new economic model.
Finally, clean governance and a strong rule of law are the bedrock of the new economy. Kenya requires bold, principled, and unchained political leadership with foresight and courage.
Kenya’s future remains bright—but only if we choose people over politics and dignity over deception.
Ndung’u Wainaina is Human Rights Advocate at Africa Council on Human Security. He can reached on Nwainaina@icpcafrica.org or +254 787707161
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