What Kenya can learn from France when politics leads to death
Opinion
By
Alex Ogutu
| Mar 02, 2026
In 2027, both France and Kenya will organise general elections; a fulfillment of their constitutional and democratic commitment. Besides sharing the same timing, the two countries evince noticeable parallels in their political ecosystems. For instance, unlike France, where the incumbent Emmanuel Macron is serving his second and final term, Kenya’s William Ruto will be defending his seat. Another key parallel lies in the approach to political organisation.
Being an advanced democracy, France’s political mobilisation is unsurprisingly anchored on ideology with issues such as immigration, economic and social reforms, and to an extent foreign policy, defining the ideological contours. On its part, Kenya’s political organisation is, to a great extent, a function of ethnic mobilisation. The emergence of the economy and demography (youth), as organising factors, has yet to grow beyond infancy, making any attempt to draw definitive conclusions immature.
As 2027 nears, electoral spaces of both countries are increasingly becoming charged, judging by the events of the recent past. Two particular events, one each in France and Kenya, stand out. Not only do they evidence how politically charged the two countries are, but they also reveal stark contrast in the degree of political development. Incidentally, both incidents happened the same week.
On February 12, 2026 in Lyon, France, a 23-year-old student by the name Quentin Deranque was beaten to death. Quentin, politically aligned with the far-right, was reportedly beaten by a mob suspected to be allied with the far-left. Just days later on February 15, in Kitengela, Kenya, a 28-year-old by the name Vincent Ayomo was reportedly shot dead during the Edwin Sifuna-led Linda Mwananchi rally. But the association of both deaths with politics is just about where the similarity ends. What follows is a display of how worlds apart France and Kenya are in attaching meaning to human life.
Public condemnation
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Quentin’s death has since triggered a series of reactions, ranging from public condemnations, arrests, and protests. The far-left French Unbowed party has especially felt the heat of public condemnation. A number of suspects have been arrested, including two assistants to the French Unbowed Member of Parliament, Raphaël Arnault. One of the assistants has been relieved of his duties, with the other being suspended.
The National Assembly observed a minute of silence in honour of Quentin. His death has not just been a local affair. It has drawn the ire of France’s neighbours, with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni describing it as a ‘wound for the whole of Europe.’
Contrast that with Kenya’s case. Ayomo’s death has so far followed Kenya’s familiar but painful script. Cosmetic condemnations have been followed by an equally cosmetic undertaking by the Independent Police Oversight Authority to investigate the killing. Nothing is expected to come out of the investigations. Ayomo's family was in the news recently appealing for help to bury the body, which at the time, was decomposing for lack of preservation.
Developments following Quentin’s death show how valued human life is in France. Political expediency is in no way allowed to degrade the sanctity of life. On the contrary, Ayomo’s death shows the persistence of dispensability of human life in service of politics in Kenya. It is a challenge the country must strive to overcome.
Mr Ogutu is a political commentator