By Faith Mwende
President William Ruto has defended his decision to sign eight controversial bills on October 15, 2025, the same day Kenya was mourning the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying he was only performing his constitutional duties.
Addressing the backlash during a public engagement on October 23, Ruto said the timing was coincidental and not politically motivated.
“There are those condemning me for assenting to the bills, arguing that the country was in mourning,” he said. “But that is the work I had planned for that particular day. I was on duty just like any other citizen.”
He added that he only learned of Odinga’s passing after arriving at his office that morning.
“Mimi niliamka on Wednesday. Hiyo ndiyo ilikuwa kazi yangu ya asubuhi hiyo. It’s my constitutional duty to assent to bills brought to me by the Speaker. Unfortunately, we lost the former Prime Minister on that day,” Ruto said.
The President’s remarks came amid sharp criticism from a section of the public who viewed the move as insensitive given the national mood of mourning.
Government officials, including National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Parliamentary Affairs PS Aurelia Rono, have backed the President, clarifying that the bills were long in progress and not rushed to take advantage of the situation.
The newly signed laws include the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aimed at protecting Kenyans especially children from online abuse, fraud, and extremism; the Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, 2025, which sets out a framework to regulate cryptocurrencies and address Kenya’s grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF); and the Privatisation Bill, 2025, designed to streamline the privatisation of state-owned enterprises.
Also among the acts are the Land (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the National Land Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which require public land allocations to be properly registered and gazetted to safeguard schools, hospitals, and other community facilities.
