{"id":5555,"date":"2026-04-03T09:07:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/?p=5555"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:07:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:07:18","slug":"activist-warns-against-unchecked-power-calls-for-public-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/activist-warns-against-unchecked-power-calls-for-public-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"Activist warns against unchecked power, calls for public accountability"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Human rights defender and Mtetezi Grassroot Convener Francis Awino has called for renewed civic engagement and greater accountability, urging closer collaboration between activists, institutions and students to build a more informed and participatory society.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\nSpeaking during a public address, Awino stressed the need to bridge the gap between academia and real-world experience, particularly for political science students at the University of Nairobi. He cited a past instance where a grassroots leader was invited to lecture students despite lacking formal academic credentials, arguing that practical knowledge is as vital as classroom learning.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHe proposed structured platforms that would allow students to<\/a> interact directly with activists and practitioners, describing such engagement as key to nurturing a \u201cthinking nation\u201d grounded in a deeper understanding of governance and ideology.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOn governance, Awino reflected on the events surrounding the Finance Bill 2024, noting that early warnings from activists about its impact on ordinary citizens went unheeded. He said the lack of dialogue contributed to nationwide protests, which he described as an expression of long-standing frustrations over economic justice and representation.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u201cThis struggle has a history, and that history began here,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAwino also raised concerns about accountability, criticising what he termed inconsistent leadership and warning against systems that allow individuals to remain in power without transparency. He argued that disputed leadership outcomes should be nullified and subjected to independent, public audits to restore trust.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHe pointed to Petition No. 772 of 2025\u2014filed against the Registrar of Trade Unions, Anne Kanake\u2014as an example of pursuing accountability through constitutional means. According to Awino, activists are seeking audited financial records and greater transparency in the management of workers\u2019 contributions.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u201cYou cannot collect money from hardworking citizens and then fail to account for it,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAwino further criticised what he described as a system that is failing workers, warning that prolonged leadership without accountability risks institutional decline. He drew parallels with historical cases of entrenched leadership, including the later years of Robert Mugabe.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nWhile acknowledging the human cost of past demonstrations, including loss of life, Awino emphasised the importance of peaceful engagement moving forward. He revealed plans to pursue structured dialogue with law enforcement agencies and the Registrar of Trade Unions, expressing confidence in dialogue as a path to resolution.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nReaffirming national unity, Awino called on Kenyans to remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice. \u201cWe are one nation, serving one God,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u201cTunaenda kwa amani, lakini tunaenda na ukweli,\u201d he concluded\u2014signalling a commitment to peaceful action anchored in truth.\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Human rights defender and Mtetezi Grassroot Convener Francis Awino has called for renewed civic engagement and greater accountability, urging closer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,153,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news","category-news","category-trends"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-02-at-20.42.12.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5557,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5555\/revisions\/5557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsroomhub.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}