Constitutional and economic rights advocate Ng’ang’a Muigai has called for the Kenyan Constitution to be taught as a compulsory, examinable subject in schools, arguing that early and structured civic education would produce a constitutionally informed generation of voters by 2032.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation, Muigai said the Constitution contains fundamental principles that can be introduced at an early age and progressively deepened as learners advance through the education system.
“This Constitution has so many things that can be taught to kids, like all sovereign power belongs to the people,” he said, adding that such basics could be taught at lower grades before becoming more detailed by Grade 10.
Muigai noted that learners currently in junior secondary school will be eligible to vote in the 2032 general election, raising concerns about their preparedness to participate meaningfully in governance.
“Can you imagine if we teach these kids the Constitution right now? Can you imagine how constitutionally informed these people will be in 2032?” he posed.
He singled out Chapter Six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity as a key area where civic ignorance undermines accountability. According to Muigai, job seekers are often told they must be “conversant with Chapter Six,” yet many have never been taught what it contains or the laws derived from it.
“No one ever told you Chapter Six. No one ever told you about any Acts of Parliament that were affected or directed by Chapter Six,” he said.
This lack of understanding, he argued, limits citizens’ ability to use constitutional tools such as the recall of Members of Parliament.
“One of the grounds of recalling an MP is that, after due process of law, it is proven that they have contravened Chapter Six. But you, as a citizen who’s supposed to initiate that petition, know nothing about Chapter Six, so you cannot recall this guy,” Muigai said.
He stressed that Kenya already has the institutional capacity to roll out constitutional education, citing the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, the Kenya National Examinations Council, and parliamentary committees on education and budget. “Kenya is blessed with structures… we have everything. We have the tools to make this happen,” he said.
Muigai also referenced the President’s past statements on constitutionalism, recalling a widely quoted remark that personal ambitions should change to align with the law, not the law to suit ambitions. He questioned why, after gazetting August 27 as Katiba Day, the government has not gone further to entrench the Constitution in schools as a full subject.
Reflecting on last year’s protests against the Finance Bill, Muigai argued they were rooted in constitutional demands rather than politics. “The Finance Bill is a revenue-raising mechanism to finance the budget. It’s a constitutional process,” he said, adding that calls for meritocracy are ultimately demands for constitutionalism and adherence to the rule of law.
