A 16-year constitutional journey has come under fresh scrutiny, with President William Ruto calling on Kenyans to confront whether the institutions created under the 2010 Constitution have lived up to their mandate and delivered the rights promised to citizens.
Speaking at the Katiba Day Symposium at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Thursday, August 27, 2026, Ruto said the anniversary should be used to hold government institutions to account and assess how responsibly they have exercised public power.
He said the country must examine whether the Constitution has been faithfully implemented, whether citizens’ rights have been protected and whether institutions have remained true to the purposes for which they were established.
“Katiba Day, 16 years later, must be more than an annual anniversary. It must be a day of national accounting. We must take a collective pause and reflect on a few critical questions: Have we faithfully implemented the Constitution? Have we exercised the authority it confers upon us responsibly? Have we effectively delivered the rights that the Constitution guarantees, and have our institutions fully honoured the purposes for which they were established?”
The Constitution was promulgated on August 27, 2010, at Uhuru Park in Nairobi by then President Mwai Kibaki after years of calls for political, institutional and democratic reforms.
It followed a national referendum held on August 4, 2010, in which about 6.1 million Kenyans, representing 66.9% of those who voted, supported the proposed Constitution.
The 2010 Constitution replaced the 1969 constitutional framework and brought major changes to the way Kenya is governed.
It strengthened the Bill of Rights, created 47 county governments and provided for a clearer separation of powers between the Executive, Parliament and Judiciary.
The Constitution also established independent commissions and offices, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Commission on Administrative Justice.
It further entrenched the sovereignty of the people and placed limits on the exercise of public authority.
Ruto said the Constitution was designed to do more than restrict government power, arguing that it must also enable state institutions to govern effectively and provide services to citizens.
“Our Constitution performs two equally important principles. First, it restrains power. It shares authority, establishes checks and balances, protects fundamental freedoms, and provides remedies against abuse. Second, it manages power. It commands the State to govern, protect, and provide, and progressively realize the social and economic rights of the people. Our responsibility is to uphold both obligations.”
The President said accountability must apply to all arms and levels of government, including the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary, national and county governments, constitutional commissions and independent offices.
He also defended the independence of the Judiciary while calling for a balance between constitutional checks and the mandate given to elected leaders by voters.
“This question does not constitute any attack on any institution or infringement of any institution. Judicial independence is non-negotiable. Courts must remain free to interpret the Constitution, protect rights, and invalidate unlawful action. Equally, executive, legislative, and judicial authority all derive legitimacy from the people and must be exercised in their service.”
Ruto also addressed the 2024 protests, acknowledging the pain caused by the loss of lives and concerns raised over alleged violations of human rights.
“I recognize the pain that remains from the events of that period. Some families lost loved ones. Serious allegations were made concerning unlawful arrests and forced disappearances, and the excessive use of lethal force. We cannot honour the Constitution by looking away from such allegations. Every credible allegation of a human rights violation must be investigated independently, thoroughly, and transparently.”
He, however, said constitutional freedoms should not be used to defend violence, looting or destruction of property.
“Our national task, therefore, is not to choose between liberty and order. It is to build an order founded on liberty, and to exercise liberty in a manner that preserves the constitutional order.”
Ruto said the success of the Constitution should ultimately be judged by its effect on ordinary citizens rather than by institutional processes alone.
“Ultimately, we must account for outcomes, whether we have protected the sovereignty of the people, upheld human dignity, preserved constitutional order, used public resources responsibly, and brought the rights guaranteed by our Constitution within the reach of more citizens.”
He urged Kenyans to treat the Constitution as a shared responsibility, saying its implementation requires commitment and accountability from both public institutions and citizens.
“16 years ago, we gave ourselves a transformative Constitution. Our responsibility today is to fulfil its promise and build a democratic, prosperous, and transformed Republic. That is the meaning of Katiba at 16.”