Former Makueni Governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana during a morning interview at Spice FM on August 5,2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]
Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has warned that Kenya risks a repeat of the 2007 post-election crisis if leaders continue to prioritise the pursuit of power over the needs of citizens.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM on Wednesday, Kibwana said the country's political culture has become overly focused on campaigns and power struggles at the expense of development and service delivery.
"It is unfortunate that in our country many leaders believe politics is all about development through political competition. The consequence is that they lose focus on why they were elected in the first place," he said.
According to Kibwana, nearly every national conversation has become politicised, with leaders concentrating on gaining or retaining power rather than addressing the challenges facing Kenyans.
"Most of these political players may not exactly tell you what their agenda is. The focus is how to get or maintain power," he said.
"We need to deal with the culture of leaders who are forever campaigning for power instead of asking what that power is meant to achieve."