Gen Z should now push for reduction of MPs' salaries
Protesters march along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi during anti-Finance Bill demos on June 25, 2024.
Austerity • After getting the Finance Bill, 2024 axed, the Gen Z should now push for the reduction of the salaries of MPs, Senators and MCAs, says Devere Mwangi. “The number of county governments should be reduced from 47 to the original eight provinces. Also, halve the Cabinet secretaries and slash the number of constituencies. We need a lean nation.” His contact is [email protected].
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Awakening • Generation Z has “given the nation a rude awakening”, remarks Lawi Manasse. The message, he adds, is the growing threat to national security from a large number of young educated and unemployed people. “A way to solve this is to create a good pension scheme for workers turning 50, especially in the private sector, to create vacancies.” His contact is [email protected].
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Brutal police • The storming of Parliament by protesters, Evans Macharia Mwangi says, reminded him of what happened after then US President Donald Trump was defeated in elections four years ago. “The difference is that their police there were not trigger-happy like our brutal officers. If they’ve taken bad manners to Haiti, they will be in for a rude shock.” His contact is [email protected].
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Gender • Although the government tries to address the situation, there is a gender imbalance in its institutions, says Caroline Maina. “Apart from the Judiciary under Chief Justice Martha Koome, in the other sections, most of the top posts are held by men. Parliament should pick women either as the majority or minority leaders or even chairs of various committees.” Her contact is [email protected].
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Language • Teachers should stop discouraging pupils from speaking their mother tongue, says Mwangi wa Karuga. “Our cultural heritage is preserved through our indigenous languages. I always get disturbed to see youth who can’t speak their vernacular but are very fluent in foreign languages. In India, both teachers and learners use Hindi, Gujarati and Punjabi.” His contact is [email protected]. Have an important day, won’t you!
