United Opposition leaders in a Press briefing at DAP–Kenya Headquarters in Nairobi on December 11, 2025. Photo Courtesy Facebook. 
By Andrew Mbuva
The United Opposition has used its 62nd Jamhuri Day address to deliver a blistering critique of President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of presiding over the “systematic erosion of national sovereignty” through the alleged secretive sale and mismanagement of key national assets.
Speaking at DAP–Kenya Headquarters in Nairobi, the Opposition leadership framed this year’s Jamhuri celebrations not just as a historic moment of reflection but as a national alarm bell, warning that Kenya’s hard-won independence was “under renewed threat—this time from within.”
The statement, titled “62 Years of Jamhuri: Defending Our Assets, Defending Our Dignity,” paid homage to freedom icons including the Kapenguria Six, Dedan Kimathi, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Mekatilili wa Menza, Pio Gama Pinto and others, while drawing a sharp contrast between their sacrifices and the present state of governance.
The Opposition accused the government of what it termed “internal neocolonialism”—citing alleged irregular dealings involving Safaricom shares, Kenya Pipeline Company, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), and KCB.
They claimed that 15% of Safaricom shares had been sold at below-market value, that Kenya Pipeline and JKIA were facing clandestine privatisation pressures, and that KCB was being manipulated for the benefit of “insiders.”
According to the statement, court interventions temporarily halted some transactions, but the Opposition insisted the pattern revealed a “deliberate, step-by-step auctioning of sovereignty.”
“This is neo-colonialism by insiders,” the statement read. “Sovereignty is not symbolic; it is sacred. Kenya shall not be sold, not be auctioned, not be recolonised.”
The November 27, 2025 by-elections featured prominently, with the United Opposition rejecting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s declaration that the polls were free and fair.
They cited independent observers, including the Kenya Human Rights Commission and ELOG, who flagged alleged irregularities and state interference.
The statement demanded immediate action against several named state officials and political figures alleged to have participated in electoral offences.
With parts of the country facing severe drought, the Opposition sharply criticised what it called the government’s misuse of humanitarian relief for political gain.
“It is unconscionable,” they said, “that rice, beans, blankets and other essentials were weaponised to bribe voters in Malava, Mbeere and other electoral areas, while real drought victims remain abandoned.”
The group demanded an urgent rollout of an animal offtake programme and the fast-tracking of the National Disaster Risk Management Bill currently in mediation.
The United Opposition pledged to safeguard national assets, uphold constitutionalism, ensure accountability, and resist what they described as “Rutopreneurship, Rutobottomship and Rutoism.”
They called on citizens, civil society, and institutions to join what they framed as a civic duty to “protect the Republic from internal subversion.”
The Opposition evoked the spirit of the Second Liberation, asserting that both independence and the 2010 Constitution must be actively defended.
“Kenya shall not be sold. Kenya shall not be auctioned. Kenya shall not be recolonised—not by outsiders, not by insiders, not by anyone,” the statement concluded.
As the nation marks 62 years of self-rule, the United Opposition’s message signals intensified political pressure on the government amid growing public scrutiny over governance, economic policy and national resource management.
