Farouk Kibet: A man with immense clout but no constitutional office

President Ruto's aide Farouk Kibet during the women empowerment programme at Scott Christian University in Machakos town on June 6, 2025. [John Muia, Standard]

Our democracy struggles to accommodate the potentate type; the man who wields enormous power without having ever sought a single vote.  Farouk Teigut Kibet is one such man, and the furious, often unhinged attempts to cut him down to size are the clearest confirmation yet that his influence is real, growing, and frankly, unsettling to many career politicians.