President William Ruto has issued a stark warning to the organisers of planned youth demonstrations, colloquially known as ‘Gen Z’ protests.
Speaking in Chebango, Bomet County, Ruto’s forceful rhetoric underscored the growing tensions between his administration and an increasingly vocal youth movement.
The protests, slated for Tuesday, have become a focal point of national attention, with demonstrators rallying against what they perceive as governmental overreach and lack of transparency. Chief among their concerns are the alleged recycling of cabinet secretaries from the recently dismissed cabinet and rumours of a contentious 30-year lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), purportedly granted without adherence to proper procedures.
President Ruto, visibly agitated, did not mince words in his address. “We will deal firmly and resolutely with those who are engaged in mayhem, in anarchy, in destroying people’s property, in causing the death of Kenyans, and in causing the loss of property and looting in the Republic of Kenya,” he declared.
Ruto went further, challenging the anonymity of protest organisers: “Those who are sponsoring, those who are marketing, those who are orchestrating this violence, they cannot continue to be faceless. They cannot continue to be nameless. They cannot continue to be formless. They cannot continue to be anonymous.”
This direct confrontation marks a departure from the more conciliatory tone often adopted by Kenyan politicians when addressing youth concerns. Ruto’s ultimatum was clear: “Let them step forward and tell us what is this violence going to achieve in the Republic of Kenya? And what is their plan beyond this violence?”
Ruto made it unequivocally clear that civil disobedience would not be tolerated. “We have a government to ensure that life and property is safe and secure. And we will do it,” he asserted.
In an attempt to shift the narrative, Ruto devoted a significant portion of his speech to outlining his administration’s economic agenda. “This is the only government that we have a plan that is deliberate, that is intentional, on how to create jobs for young people in Kenya,” he claimed. The President highlighted initiatives in digital industrialization, manufacturing, value addition, and agro-processing, positioning these as solutions to youth unemployment.
Healthcare reform also featured prominently in Ruto’s address. He spoke of plans to enhance the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), stating, “We want now to improve so that we have records of every Kenyan. We have details. So that we can plan our health appropriately.” This move, he suggested, would be pivotal in addressing the country’s healthcare challenges.
The President’s speech was not without its theatrical elements. At one point, he led the crowd in a chant of “We want peace”.
