29/04/2026
Chapter One of the Constitution of Kenya 2010
Sovereignty of the People and Supremacy of the Constitution (Articles 1–3)
Chapter 1 is the foundation of the entire Constitution. It answers two big questions:
👉 Who has power in Kenya?
👉 What is the highest law in Kenya?
Article 1 — Sovereignty of the People
This article says ALL power belongs to the people of Kenya.
This is the most important starting principle.
What it means:
The people can exercise power in two ways:
1️⃣ Directly
Through referendums
Public participation
Voting
2️⃣ Indirectly By electing leaders to represent them in:
Parliament
County governments
The Executive
The Judiciary
Independent commissions
💡 Meaning:
Leaders do not own power — they borrow it from citizens.
Article 2 — Supremacy of the Constitution
This article says the Constitution is the highest law in Kenya.
Key points:
The Constitution binds:
All individuals
All state organs
All levels of government
Any law that goes against the Constitution is invalid.
International law and treaties Kenya signs become part of Kenyan law.
💡 Simple meaning:
No one is above the Constitution — not even the President.
Article 3 — Defence of the Constitution
This article gives every Kenyan a duty.
It says:
Every person must:
Respect the Constitution
Uphold it
Defend it
And no person can try to overthrow the Constitution illegally.
This protects Kenya from coups or unlawful takeovers of power.
Simple Summary of Chapter 1
Chapter 1 teaches three core ideas:
1️⃣ Power belongs to the people
2️⃣ The Constitution is the highest law
3️⃣ Every Kenyan must protect it
If you’d like, we can continue step-by-step with �Chapter 2 (National Values and Principles) next.
