These five men can deliver Kenya from politics of despair

In politics, small moves often create the biggest waves. What begins as a whisper among principled citizens can grow into a movement that reshapes a nation. Kenya has reached such a moment. As the country lurches between the disappointments of broken promises and the excesses of reckless borrowing, a quiet initiative is emerging. The middle ground being fronted by former Chief Justice David Maraga, activist Okiya Omtatah, gospel artist and thinker Reuben Kigame, activist Boniface Mwangi, Gen Z poet Sungu Oyoo, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, and former governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana may hold the key to Kenya’s renewal.

The middle ground is often misunderstood. Many assume it means neutrality, compromise, or indecision. In truth, it is something far more powerful. It is the choice to rise above the toxic binaries that dominate our politics, government versus opposition, tribe versus tribe, elite versus grassroots. It is the recognition that Kenya’s problems are not partisan. Corruption does not steal selectively. Debt does not discriminate. Unemployment, poor healthcare, and insecurity afflict all citizens alike.

What Maraga, Mutunga, Omtatah, Kigame, Mwangi, Oyoo, Kibwana, and their peers are advancing is politics of conscience. It is not rooted in blind loyalty to political dynasties or charismatic demagogues. Instead, it insists on integrity, service, and justice as the foundation of leadership. In a nation exhausted by endless betrayal, this is no small step. It is a profound challenge to the culture of impunity.

Kenya’s Constitution already envisioned such politics. It gave us institutions meant to check executive excess, laws designed to ensure accountability, and freedoms intended to empower citizens. Yet institutions have been captured, laws twisted, and freedoms undermined. In this environment, the middle ground becomes not just desirable but necessary. It seeks to revive the promise of the Constitution by demanding leaders who embody its spirit, not merely recite its words.

The United Opposition Coalition and other political formations must see this initiative as an ally rather than a rival. The opposition has the networks, numbers, and mobilising power to mount a credible challenge in 2027. But without a moral compass, even the strongest coalition risks repeating the failures of the past. The middle ground brings that compass. It adds conscience to muscle and values to votes. If the two can align, Kenya will finally have a formidable alternative to the politics of personality cults.

History teaches us that profound change often begins with a few principled voices. The Second Liberation was not launched by massive crowds but by small groups of determined citizens willing to challenge dictatorship. Over time, their persistence drew others until the tide turned. The middle ground today may appear modest, but its symbolism is powerful: Two retired Chief Justices, an activist legislator, a gospel artist, a fearless street activist, a Gen Z poet with presidential ambition, a seasoned reformist governor, and ordinary citizens standing together. This image alone cuts through decades of tribal alliances and elite bargains. It says to Kenyans: A different politics is possible.

Critics will ask whether such an initiative can translate into electoral strength. The answer lies in how it connects with citizens’ frustrations. Kenyans are tired of politics as usual, the insults, the ethnic arithmetic, the hollow promises. They want leaders who can lower the cost of living, create jobs, protect freedoms, and safeguard their dignity. If the middle ground can articulate these issues in language that resonates, it will grow. And if it works with the opposition, not against it, it can be the tipping point for change.

Importantly, the middle ground is not about fence-sitting. It is not an escape from tough choices. Rather, it is a refusal to be trapped in the false choices offered by the political elite. It insists that Kenya is not condemned to pick between bad and worse, corrupt and more corrupt. There is a third way: Leaders of integrity who put country before self, justice before power, and citizens before cronies.

In the end, 2027 is not just about electing a president. It is about whether Kenyans can finally break free from the cycle of betrayal. The middle ground challenges us to redefine leadership. A good leader is not the loudest in rallies or the richest in stolen wealth. A good leader is one who listens, serves, unites, and remains accountable. That is the message Maraga, Mutunga, Omtatah, Kigame, Mwangi, Oyoo, Kibwana, and others are sending.

Kenya cannot afford another wasted five years. The debt crisis is suffocating, corruption is metastasising, and inequality is widening. Unless citizens insist on a new kind of politics, the downward spiral will continue. The middle ground may be small today, but it is sowing seeds. If nurtured and connected to broader opposition efforts, it can blossom into the movement that finally delivers Kenya from the politics of despair. The smallest moves often create the biggest wins. Kenya should not ignore this one.