Caption for the landscape image: How Kenya's handouts politics turned into a monster out of control Saturday, August 08, 2026 Scroll down to read the article Women and young men queue for cash handouts from a politician in Kisumu on July 16, 2022. Politicians have begun campaigns for 2027. Photo credit: File | AFP By Rushdie Oudia & George Odiwuor Article Related Raila Odinga, the veteran politician who died in October 2025, was never known for giving handouts at political rallies. He openly denounced tokenism, castigating leaders who paid youths or women to fill venues, cheer them on or heckle rivals. PREMIUM Ballot for the rich: Alarm over Kenya’s big money elections Billions of shillings, helicopters and wealthy financiers are redefining poll contests as IEBC moves to regulate campaign spending. PREMIUM Handout culture: Politicians woo poor voters with cash during Christmas Over the past week, villages and town centres have been flooded with crowds queuing for festive handouts. . Recommended for you PREMIUM Cash-strapped TUK given 30 days to pay Sh6.4bn pension debt PREMIUM Why 7,000 land disputes remain stuck at NLC PREMIUM Cops gone rogue: Inside a trail of jailbreaks PREMIUM Sh500m fines, parental consent: New tough social media rules for children, providers Login to join the discussion Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. In the headlines Elections News Counties Business Opinion Sports Life & Style Health Podcasts Photos Newsletters Puzzles PREMIUM Why MPs want a say in village elders’ selection MPs' push exposes battle for control of 106,000-strong grassroots army ahead of 2027 elections. PREMIUM What next for Matiang’i as Ongwae’s new party raises stakes in Gusii Ongwae says his party believes in neither the “one-term” nor the “two-term” narrative. PREMIUM Over 40 and still jobless: The plight of teachers locked out of TSC jobs Some have fallen into depression, while others turn to manual jobs to survive.
PREMIUM Ballot for the rich: Alarm over Kenya’s big money elections Billions of shillings, helicopters and wealthy financiers are redefining poll contests as IEBC moves to regulate campaign spending.
PREMIUM Handout culture: Politicians woo poor voters with cash during Christmas Over the past week, villages and town centres have been flooded with crowds queuing for festive handouts.
PREMIUM Why MPs want a say in village elders’ selection MPs' push exposes battle for control of 106,000-strong grassroots army ahead of 2027 elections.
PREMIUM What next for Matiang’i as Ongwae’s new party raises stakes in Gusii Ongwae says his party believes in neither the “one-term” nor the “two-term” narrative.
PREMIUM Over 40 and still jobless: The plight of teachers locked out of TSC jobs Some have fallen into depression, while others turn to manual jobs to survive.
