President William Ruto speaks during the Katiba Day celebrations at KICC, Nairobi on August 27, 2026./SCREENGRAB
President William Ruto has challenged Kenyan leaders and institutions to move beyond celebrating the Constitution and focus on delivering the rights and freedoms it guarantees to citizens.
Speaking during Katiba Day celebrations at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Thursday, Ruto said the annual event should be a moment for the country to assess its progress in implementing the 2010 Constitution.
“Katiba Day must be more than an anniversary; it must be a day of national accounting,” Ruto said.
Ruto’s remarks came as Kenya marked Katiba Day, an annual commemoration of the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
The day provides an opportunity to reflect on the country’s constitutional journey and assess the progress made in realising the rights, freedoms and governance principles enshrined in the Constitution.
The President also questioned whether the country had faithfully implemented the Constitution, protected the rights it guarantees and held institutions accountable to the citizens they serve.
He said the Constitution plays two equally important roles by establishing government offices while also restraining the exercise of power.
“The Constitution serves two equally important principles: it establishes offices and restrains power,” Ruto said.
According to the President, the Constitution distributes authority, creates checks and balances, protects fundamental freedoms and provides remedies against abuse.
He said Kenyans should judge the success of constitutional implementation by the extent to which the principles in the document are reflected in their everyday lives.
“Progressive realisation of constitutional rights cannot mean indefinite postponement,” Ruto said.
The President pointed to access to basic services as a key measure of whether the Constitution’s promises are being fulfilled.
He said the true test of constitutional implementation was not how frequently leaders quoted the Constitution, but how closely the daily experiences of Kenyans reflected its promise.
“The true test of constitutional implementation is not how often we quote the Constitution, but how closely the daily experiences of Kenyans reflect its promise through access to healthcare, clean water, education, decent housing and a life of dignity,” he said.
