Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) Deputy Executive Director Cornelius Oduor has weighed in on the plight of the independent institutions in the country.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Oduor blamed the failure of various independent institutions such as the police service and independent arms of government on a failure of both the public players and civilians to exercise their roles of oversight.
Oduor particularly singled out individuals given leadership mandates by citizens to hold the government to account, but have abdicated the role for fear of castigating the government.
“The trend of state capture of independent institutions is a dangerous threat to democratic governance in Kenya. We have to resolve to allow the institutions to operate within the confines of the constitution,” he said.
“We have allowed this to happen because of the misconception people have been treated to. The notion that being in government is good, and the idea that if we are in government, we support it even blindly.”
The rights body official maintains that it is not a preserve for the few as citizens, who are vested with powers and merely delegate powers to various organs of the government.
Oduor further challenged Kenyans to reject cynicism and continue their clamour for a responsive government.
“Everyone has a stake in government. We are a sovereign nation and everyone is in the government.  We have only given these powers to organs like the executive, judiciary, parliament and others. But to the extent we are comfortable with what is happening and the situation as it is; it points to a political culture that we all need to come out of,” he posited.
 As a remedy, Oduor has challenged parliament to step up its role in holding the executive to account and help finance other institutions for effective functioning.
 “As a country, we are suffering from the effects of an imperial presidency as a person and in the office of the president. We have seen governors trying to impress the president when they have their own budgets to manage and function independently. Parliament needs to ensure institutions are given adequate resources. At the same time, ensure institutions that don’t perform are reprimanded too. But when the parliament is also singing praises of the presidency, it begs the question,” he added.