Kongamano La Mapinduzi (KLM) national spokesperson and 2027 presidential hopeful Sungu Oyoo has called for sustained political struggle and civic engagement to reshape Kenya’s future.
In a Radio Generation interview on Wednesday, he reflected on youth protests, climate disasters in Nairobi and the vision of African unity, arguing that persistent citizen action is needed to achieve justice, dignity and long-term reform.
Oyoo reflected on recent youth-led protests and the broader political moment in Kenya, saying such movements represent powerful expressions of public dissatisfaction even when their outcomes appear gradual.
“Struggle is not an electric switch,” Sungu. “We do not have a switch on the wall and click it and the lights are on. It is a protracted process.”
According to him, movements seeking systemic change must remain persistent despite obstacles, betrayal or setbacks.
“In this process, there will be those who will betray us, there will be those who will stick firmly on the path,” he said. “But the most important thing is to stay single-mindedly focused on our goal.”
That goal, he explained, is the creation of what he called a “new republic” that guarantees citizens justice and dignity.
“Our goal is to birth a new republic, to birth a new Kenya that can, at the very minimum, guarantee us justice, at the very minimum guarantee dignity,” he explained.
Oyoo said recent protests demonstrated the power of collective action and drew global attention because of their largely peaceful nature.
He described them as highly organised and reflective of a generation demanding accountability.
“We recognise that struggle is not instant,” he remarked, adding that perseverance and unity would ultimately determine whether political movements achieve lasting reform.
Beyond politics, Oyoo also addressed the severe flooding that recently disrupted parts of Nairobi, highlighting what he described as government failures in disaster preparedness.
“Floods were not invented last week,” he said. “Floods arise out of rainfall that can be predicted and measures taken to mitigate the outcome.”
Heavy rains last week led to widespread flooding across the capital, leaving roads impassable and forcing many residents to remain stranded for hours.
Oyoo said he was caught in the city centre during the storm and was unable to leave until shortly after midnight due to gridlock and flooded roads.
“There was a very huge traffic gridlock across most of the town,” he said. “Majority of the roads were actually flooded.”
He blamed the situation on what he called a broader failure in governance and planning.
“We are just in a general state of unpreparedness,” he said.
According to him, decades of underinvestment in drainage systems and flood mitigation infrastructure have left Nairobi vulnerable to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
He also criticised the appointment of officials without the necessary expertise to manage disasters.
“If disasters can be predicted but those supposed to handle them are not qualified, then they cannot put in place measures,” he said.
Oyoo pointed to clogged drainage systems, silted water bodies such as Nairobi Dam and unchecked construction along riverbanks as contributing factors.
“Riparian reserves in this city are not respected at all,” he said.
While low-income settlements are often targeted during demolitions, he argued that wealthier neighbourhoods where developments encroach on rivers are rarely affected.
“Nature, however, is not that forgiving,” he warned.
Beyond national issues, Oyoo also spoke about his belief in Pan-Africanism, describing it as a philosophy rooted in shared history and collective destiny.
“Pan Africanism at the most basic level is the belief that African people share a common history and that we share a common destiny,” he said.
He argued that African unity would allow the continent to operate more effectively on the global stage economically, politically and socially.
However, he said efforts toward unity have been undermined over time.
“A strong Africa does not bode well for the rest of the world,” he said, suggesting that external and internal forces have slowed the project of continental integration.
