Affirmative action framework for marginalized and minority groups

The Kenya Kwanza Government promised to legislate an affirmative action framework to implement Article 56 of the Constitution regarding minorities and marginalized groups.

• In September 2025, the Secretary of the Minorities and Marginalized Affairs Unit, Mr. Josphat Lowoi Lodeya, stated that the Kenya Kwanza Government was preparing the first-ever draft policy to address issues bedevilling marginalized and minority groups, which he pledged would be ready by December 2025.
• On December 18, 2025, President William Ruto officially launched the National Policy on Ethnic Minorities, Indigenous and Marginalised Communities (2025–2035). This 10-year “transformative blueprint” provides a roadmap for the full realization of Article 56 rights.
• The policy launch was accompanied by a KES 700 million immediate funding pledge, which includes:
  • A KES 500 million National Minority Scholarship Programme for indigent learners.
  • A KES 200 million education infrastructure fund for marginalized regions
• The government has also developed the Ethnic Minorities and Marginalised Communities Bill, 2025. This proposed Act of Parliament aims to create a comprehensive legal and institutional structure to address historical injustices and systemic exclusion.