By Billy Mijungu

Kenya’s economic growth trajectory in 2026 will largely depend on the discipline the Government adopts and push austerity measures to a new and more deliberate level as a strategic reset of how public resources are deployed.

Government spending on travel, must be reoriented. International travel should be reduced to strict necessity, while local travel must be tightly controlled. Excessive travel allowances and non essential movements have become a drain on public finances. Redirecting funds toward productive sectors yields far greater economic returns.
The State must develop a clear strategy to significantly reduce reliance on privately owned property leases. Many leases have become loopholes for pilferage and rent seeking. Where possible, government agencies should lease space from government owned entities, or leverage the Housing Fund to develop and allocate office space to deserving agencies not only cut costs but also bring long term value to public assets.

Critical is the management of government fuel and oil cards, one of the most abused areas of public expenditure. Without strict controls, real time monitoring, and accountability, daily leakage of resources continues unchecked. Tightening fuel management systems would immediately save billions and improve operational efficiency.
Local travel costs also demand scrutiny. Kenya has reached a point where every senior official seems to require helicopter transport for routine engagements. This culture of excess must end. Road and rail transport should be prioritized where feasible, reserving air travel for genuine emergencies or strategic needs.

Beyond austerity, the national budget must adopt a more social and productive outlook rather than an overly capitalistic one. Energy costs remain a major bottleneck to growth. The Government should expand electricity subsidies to drive down production costs. Targeting power prices to just a few cents per kilowatt hour would stimulate manufacturing, encourage investment, reduce the cost of goods, and make Kenya more competitive. Affordable fuel and cooking gas are equally essential to lowering the cost of living.

Finally, county aggregation and industrial centres must be fully operationalized. These centres can anchor cottage industries, support value addition, and create local jobs across all cadres, directly and indirectly, combined with fiscal discipline and reduced domestic borrowing, they can become engines of inclusive growth.

Austerity, when applied intelligently, will free resources, restore confidence, and lay the foundation for sustainable growth in 2026 and beyond.

By Billy Mijungu

William Ruto understands his opponents very well. His recent rhetoric has been disproportionately focused on Kalonzo. Despite sustained attacks from Matiang’i, Ruto has barely mentioned him even once. That silence is strategic.

Ruto’s political style is he either works to co-opt you or becomes ruthless in destroying you. Kalonzo is currently facing the latter. He poses a unique challenge to Ruto because he commands a tested, transferable and retainable voter base. Many others cannot. This makes him the most credible threat in opposition space.

Matiang’i is structurally weaker. His political ascent is heavily dependent on Uhuru Kenyatta’s goodwill, and Kalonzo knows this. All Kalonzo needs, is insist on staying on the ballot until the end. The numbers between him and Matiang’i are not dramatically different, and endurance matters in Kenyan politics.

The dominant political strategy for 2026 is simple, divide as much as possible and remain the only unifying force. Ruto wants to fragment everyone while presenting himself as the sole center of power.

In Mount Kenya, this strategy is already in motion. The elevation of Kindiki Kithure to the position of Deputy President is tactical and designed to cement Mount Kenya East while subtly weakening Mount Kenya West. This is fragmentation through ethnic recalibration, and so far, it is working.

ODM is the next major target, and fragmentation is already underway. The goal is to neutralize ODM by first ensuring Ruto remains in full control of government, then peeling away Luhya and Coast leaders from the party. ODM is gradually being reduced to an appendage whose role is to support UDA, particularly in mobilizing Nyanza and parts of Nairobi.

Ruto is not only focused on re-election in 2027. He is equally invested in succession in 2032. His plan is to build UDA into a numerically dominant machine that can later be handed over to his preferred successor, who is clearly Kindiki. The idea of being removed from power unsettles him, so the strategy is preemptive destruction of potential threats. Weaken GEMA power centers, fragment ODM and expand UDA’s footprint nationally.

Ironically, ODM unity should be the easiest to sustain. There is no serious internal contest for the presidency or deputy presidency. All that is required is disciplined nationwide campaigning to maintain or slightly grow their numbers. But the allure of government proximity is powerful. Many are intoxicated by the smell of power without realizing they have not truly accessed it.

Fragmentation remains Ruto’s ride or die strategy. Whether the opposition recognizes it in time will determine the political outcome ahead.

By Anderson Ojwang

The death of former Cabinet Minister Cyrus Jirongo could not have come at a worse time or in a worse manner, but his burial last week in Kakamega became a turning point in Luhya community politics.

It marked the Luhya renaissance, the sleeping giant finally waking up to the reality of its prominence at the country’s political table of power and strategically demanding its rightful slot.

In what former President Uhuru Kenyatta termed at the burial as “Kenya has lost another president, the president that never was,” the words reverberated at every corner of the tent and across the Luhya community and the country.

“As a county, we have lost a president. He had the capacity to be the president of Kenya,” he said.

Leaders from the community revealed that Jirongo had marshalled sizeable resources for a stab at the presidency in the 2027 general election, a move that rekindled the community’s journey to the presidency.

In what could be termed a subtle Jirongo declaration, the community was in unison in its demand to be at the table of the national cake, with Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya declaring that he was ready to leave ODM to ensure Luhya unity and ascension to the presidency.

“Jirongo tried to unite the Luhya community. Whenever I met him, he would talk to me about Luhya unity. One day I asked him if I was the problem and the impediment to unity.

Because I am in ODM, if I am the obstacle, I am ready to leave the party, as the deputy party leader at that time, to unite the community and form a single political party.

We have three Luhyas who are party leaders of political parties: Eugene Wamalwa, Moses Wetangula and Musalia, but he dissolved his party. These are the party leaders. Let me say this: I am ready to leave ODM to unite the Luhya community.

I know if we come together, we are the sleeping giant in this country,”he said.

Top Luhya leaders, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, appeared subdued, and mourners even trickled out when Musalia rose to speak.

Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, who failed to read the mood of the mourners and the community, was forced to cut short his speech after the crowd booed and jeered him.

The charged and fiery youthful community leaders have masterminded a coup against the traditional political leaders in the community and have become the new sheriffs in Luhya land.

This was a significant moment for the Luhya community and, for President William Ruto and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of the late Raila Amolo Odinga, the community could be fast slipping away from their grasp.

Ruto’s allies are under siege from youthful leaders from the region who want to call the shots and have been on overdrive to woo residents into their bloc.

For ODM, wrangles now pit the party leader Dr Oburu Odinga-led wing, coalescing around national party chairperson Gladys Wanga, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir and Junet Mohamed, against party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, deputy party leader Geoffrey Osotsi and Siaya Governor James Orengo.

Recently, the Luhya Council of Elders asked the party leadership to resolve any differences, noting that the community also has a stake in the party.

The leaders said that since independence, the Luhya community has been used by some leaders to ascend to the presidency and later relegated to the dustbin.

“Since 1963, people have used Luhyas and forgotten the voters. I have heard our senior leaders saying that in 2027 we will not have a presidential candidate. We want a Luhya presidential candidate in 2027. Luhyas, do you want to wait for 2032 or 2027?

Let us be honest. If two people who are inside the government start to eat, they think all Luhyas are also eating. In the 2027 presidential election, Luhyas will present a candidate.

Recently, the President was in Kiambu, where he launched road construction worth Sh5 billion, but in Luhya land they are for Sh100 million,” they said.

Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale said Luhya unity was unstoppable and that anyone seeking to negotiate with the community must lay their cards on the table.

“If Ruto wants Luhyas to support him in 2027, he must come afresh on fresh terms, and that is not disrespect. Now he is making terms with the Luo and the Kikuyu.

How come, from nowhere, Musalia says we are supporting Ruto? Where did you agree with the Luhya community?” he said.

Vihiga Senator Geoffrey Osotsi said the huge Luhya community’s investment in ODM could not be taken for granted.

“We are in ODM to stay and nobody will throw us out. We are not cowards. We have invested in this party from 2007 to date,” he said.

Edwin Sifuna said, “The Mulembe nation must be on the presidential ballot in 2027. We ask you, Wetangula and Mudavadi, to support us on that.”

Eugene Wamalwa said Jirongo was a uniting factor in the community and that, in his honour, they would present a candidate.

“We must inject sobriety into our politics. We are not enemies. Let us sit together and plan our future.

In 2027, Jirongo had a plan. He told us he had mobilised billions of shillings for a presidential campaign, and those who looked down on the Luhya community, saying they did not have money, were going to be shocked. As the people of Western, we have planned for the presidential ballot,” he said.

KANU party leader Gideon Moi summed it up by urging the community to unite and exploit the value of their numbers.

“Jirongo was prepared for 2026 to launch his campaign. Luhyas, do not be an elephant that does not know the value of its tusks.

Your unity will shake the country’s political landscape; your unity will help Kenya,” he said.

By Billy Mijungu

Health financing in Kenya must be reimagined beyond payroll deductions and overstretched insurance schemes. A sustainable alternative lies in consumer-based taxation on fast-moving consumer goods, structured in a VAT-like model.

Food is health, and what we consume daily should directly finance the system that keeps the nation productive. This approach spreads responsibility fairly across society while reducing pressure on workers and employers.

At the same time, Kenya must decisively transition towards industrial agriculture. Smallholder farming alone cannot sustain a modern economy. The future lies in large-scale agribusiness, structured farmer aggregation, mechanisation, and strong value-chain processing.

From seed to shelf, Kenya must stop exporting raw produce and start exporting value. Industrial agriculture will stabilise food prices, improve farmer incomes, strengthen food security, and create millions of jobs across logistics, manufacturing, and export industries.

Water infrastructure must be elevated to the level of a strategic national asset. Without reliable water systems, agriculture, industry, and urban growth will remain constrained. Large-scale dams, water harvesting, irrigation corridors, and smart distribution systems should be treated as nation-building projects, just like roads and power. Water is not just a social good; it is an economic multiplier.

Equally, ICT infrastructure must be positioned at the core of national development. Broadband connectivity, data centres, cloud infrastructure, and digital public services will power Kenya through artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, and future-facing innovation.

Digital infrastructure today is what railways were to the Industrial Revolution. Nations that invest early will dominate productivity, governance efficiency, and global competitiveness.

A winning political manifesto must therefore link health, food, water, and technology into one integrated economic vision. A healthy population, fed by a modern agricultural system, powered by water security, and connected through world-class digital infrastructure, is the foundation of a prosperous Kenya.