Patrick Osoi, leader of the Fighting Brutality and Impunity Movement, has defended his views on governance, security power and leadership, saying real power lies within state security institutions rather than elected offices.
Speaking in a Radio Generation interview on Monday, he argued that corruption and impunity are Kenya’s biggest obstacles and called for decisive leadership to protect national interests and enforce accountability.
While speaking, he said his experience working within the security system shaped his views on leadership, governance and national interest.
“I was leading a team of elite in this country, and we would talk to the President direct one on one. And there are things we would tell the President then that this one cannot happen because these are the consequences,” he said.
He argued that political leaders often misunderstand power, describing it as an illusion when not backed by state institutions.
“Never mistake that when people say that we have the system we can manipulate elections, that is not power. You actually have an illusion of power, because the people who hold real power are people who are in the system, National Intelligence Service and KDF and the police,” he said.
Osoi spoke about what he described as the “government machinery” and the importance of intelligence services in governance, saying presidents who ignore intelligence advice risk failure.
“A president that does not embrace the intelligence services or information from the National Intelligence Services is a doomed president. You can’t go anywhere,” he said.
He also spoke about his background as a special forces soldier, saying the experience shaped his mindset and leadership ambitions.
“The dream and the mind to become the Kenyan President came when I was 23 years. I was a special force soldier in Kenya Defence Forces,” he said.
According to him, special forces training fundamentally changes how soldiers think and operate.
“When you are trained as a special force soldier, you are customized. The mind that you had in your life is deleted. Essentially, you are a refined tool. You are precision,” he said.
Osoi argued that discipline forces are trained to protect national interests rather than political interests, and said military coups happen when leaders deviate from institutional rules and national interests.
“Do you know how they occur? When people begin to divert from what are the rules and regulations set for that institution. We are trained to protect the national interest of this nation,” he said.
He also spoke strongly about corruption and impunity in Kenya, saying tough and transparent action should be taken against individuals involved in corruption.
“We come for you, we read all what you’ve done and stolen and we ask can this person be hanged. And we make sure that you face the law so that at least if we do big fishes in this country, corruption will reduce,” he said.
Osoi described corruption as the main obstacle to economic growth, comparing the economy to a sack that cannot be filled if corruption continues.
“If we have one million people today, go do team building. Take a sack and everybody have a jug of water and try to fill that sack. It will never be filled. In this nation we cannot talk about economy whereby we have so rampant corruption,” he said.
He also argued that countries that want to become developed nations must prioritize security and technological power before focusing on economic growth.
“The three things that are needed for a country to be a first world country is first to prioritize the military power, number two; the satellite power of that country, and number three we can talk about the economy,” he said.
Osoi concluded by saying leadership should serve citizens and not the other way around.
“Politicians and leaders in this country should know they are the employees of the citizens of this nation. The citizens are the employers of the people in power today,” he said.