What Opposition should do besides criticising government

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A credible opposition is not built on grievances. It is built on clarity. If the United Opposition seeks to become a serious contender against the incumbent, it needs to move beyond criticism and define a signature rallying call that speaks directly to the lived frustrations of citizens.

Three elements of transformative leadership provide a useful lens for a rallying signature.

First, leadership rests on moral foundations rather than manipulation. Second, leaders define a credible future that citizens can see and believe in. Third, leaders challenge stale assumptions and rethink institutions that no longer serve the public good. Let us break them down.

One issue stands out with unusual clarity in Kenya’s public discourse: Corruption. The media have exposed scandal after scandal with consistency and courage. Yet exposure has not translated into decisive action. Major scandals dominate headlines and then fade without visible accountability. This gap between exposure and enforcement is where public trust collapses.

This is where the Opposition has an opening. If the United Opposition is serious, it can anchor its campaign on a morally grounded and sharply defined agenda: The protection of public funds and the restoration of fiscal discipline. Not as a slogan, but as a structured national commitment.

The first task is moral clarity. Corruption needs to be framed not merely as inefficiency, but as a moral failure that robs citizens of dignity. When public funds are lost, it is a classroom not built, a hospital not equipped, a road not completed, a young person denied opportunity. A morally grounded message connects corruption to everyday deprivation.

The second task is to define a credible future. Citizens do not vote only against something. They vote for something. The Opposition can articulate what fiscal discipline will look like in practice. How borrowing is managed, what thresholds guide public debt, how leakages are sealed, and how institutions are strengthened to ensure that exposure leads to prosecution and recovery of stolen funds. A credible future is specific and measurable.

The third task is to challenge stale assumptions and rethink institutions. Kenya has strong formal institutions on paper, yet outcomes suggest systemic weakness. The Opposition can raise difficult questions about whether existing anti-corruption frameworks are fit for purpose. Do oversight bodies have real autonomy? Are investigative processes shielded from political interference? Are procurement systems designed to prevent abuse or merely to document it?

The danger for the Opposition is direction fragmentation. If different leaders speak on different issues without coherence, the electorate hears many voices but no clear direction. A signature rallying call on corruption and fiscal discipline offers a unifying frame that can align messaging, policy proposals, and campaign energy.

The United Opposition is not insulated from the culture it would seek to challenge. It carries its own history and contradictions. That reality, however, can be turned into a point of renewal. It can announce a new beginning anchored on a clear public commitment to recover and return stolen funds running into billions of shillings.

Such a position speaks to a deeper truth about the Kenyan condition. Kenyans are remarkably hardworking. Across sectors, they generate value, build enterprises, and sustain families with resilience. Yet essential public services remain inadequate. The contradiction lies in the leakage of public resources through mega corruption. When public funds are protected, services improve. When they are looted, even the most hardworking population struggles to translate effort into collective progress.

There is also a cultural dimension that cannot be ignored. Corruption has, over time, been normalised. It expresses itself not only in grand scandals but also in everyday practices where tokenism is tolerated and even quietly endorsed. A serious anti-corruption agenda therefore goes beyond institutions. It signals a shift in public ethics.

I believe any transformation in Kenya will have to start with fighting mega corruption.

A focused campaign on corruption and fiscal discipline does more than challenge the incumbent. It reframes the political conversation around dignity, responsibility, and the purpose of power. If the United Opposition sharpens this message and sustains it with clarity, it positions itself as a credible alternative grounded in a different logic of governance.

Dr Mokua is the Executive Director, Loyola Centre for Media and Communication