Kenyans must become Parliament’s biggest fear

In 1789, the French monarchy discovered that a hungry population could bring an entire political order to its knees. For years, the monarchy had mistaken obedience for loyalty and the suffering of ordinary people for a problem that could be managed with a few concessions. Then the people of Paris stormed the Bastille, and the idea that power belonged to a select few began to crumble.

History is full of rulers who made the same mistake: they believed that because they controlled the institutions, they controlled the people. Kenya's political class would do well to study that history. You can command the police, occupy parliamentary seats and pass laws with a comfortable majority. But you cannot legislate away public anger forever.