President Ruto roasted over Katiba Day ‘hypocrisy’

NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 25 – President William Ruto’s declaration of August 27 as Katiba Day has opened a storm of criticism, with many Kenyans calling him a hypocrite.

They argue it is ironic for the Head of State to celebrate a Constitution he once opposed and which his government has been accused of violating.

In a proclamation on Monday, President Ruto praised the 2010 Constitution as “one of the most transformative and progressive in human history.”

He said the day will be marked every year with civic activities in schools, government institutions, counties, and even in Kenyan embassies abroad.

According to him, Katiba Day will remind citizens of their duty to “obey, preserve, protect, and implement the Constitution.”

But critics were quick to fire back.

They reminded the country that in 2010, President Ruto was one of the loudest voices against the Constitution during the referendum campaigns.

At the time, he argued that the new law threatened land rights and centralized governance.

He was firmly in the “No” camp, campaigning across the Rift Valley against the document he now describes as “progressive.”

“How do you celebrate a Constitution that you opposed? How do you celebrate a Constitution that you don’t respect?” lawyer Ndegwa Njiru asked. “This is a mockery, bwana Kasongo. Wantam! Komboa Kenya!”

Lawyer and political analyst Willis Otieno was equally blunt.

“A man who fought tooth and nail against the 2010 Constitution now wants to be the priest of Katiba Day. For 15 years he has mutilated and defiled that document at every turn. You cannot spit on a book for over a decade then pretend to be its chief defender.”

Beyond his past opposition, Kenyans say President Ruto’s administration has shown little respect for the Constitution in practice.

The government has repeatedly defied court orders, weakening devolution by delaying county funds, overseeing brutal crackdown on its critics and protestors and also Ruto has also been faulted for executive overreach.

Former IEBC Commissioner Roselyn Akombe pointed to the irony: “For the past 14 years, Kenyans have celebrated Katiba Day and been tear-gassed for doing so. Then this one wakes up one day to declare a day, which we always marked anyway. You cannot celebrate a Constitution you don’t respect.”

Still, Ruto’s allies insist Katiba Day is a noble idea meant to deepen civic awareness and national unity.

But civil society groups are not convinced.

They say if the President is serious about honoring the Constitution, he should start by respecting court rulings, protecting devolution, and guaranteeing the rights and freedoms enshrined in the document.

As one activist put it: “You cannot celebrate the Constitution in the morning and violate it in the afternoon.”