President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga in Uganda in February.
President William Ruto’s broad-based government faces its first litmus test as the youth plot a fresh round of demonstrations in their continued push for reforms.
Gen Zs have called for a “mother of all demonstrations”, dubbed Nane Nane (in reference to today’s date) to continue the drive to hold the government to account, setting the stage for a showdown between the government and protesters.
The demonstrations come after Dr Ruto co-opted the opposition in his administration, a decision aimed at quelling dissatisfaction with his government.
However, the youth still accuse the Kenya Kwanza regime of being tone-deaf to their grievances, and the political class of hijacking their push for good governance and accountability.
The youth began the demonstrations in June, demanding that the President ends excesses by the government, corruption and insensitive displays of opulence by public officials.
Gen Zs also pushed for the overhaul of the government as well as disbandment of moribund offices to restore public confidence in the administration.
Addressing a crowd at Toi Market in Nairobi on Monday, opposition leader Raila Odinga said the broad-based government would live up to the expectations of Kenyans.
Mr Odinga added that the President went to him seeking help to end the Gen Z demonstrations when his Cabinet secretaries failed to deliver on their mandate.
“We have given him experts. You will now witness things changing,” the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader said.
60 deaths
The protests which started on June 18, and have resulted in at least 60 deaths, were sparked by the Finance Bill, 2024, before morphing into a rallying call for the resignation of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Dr Ruto has since withdrawn the Bill, dismissed his Cabinet and promised to end corruption.
The latest round of protests, drawing inspiration from the Saba Saba demonstrations of the 1990s, will test the mettle of the new-look government comprising members of the ODM.
Today’s marches, organisers say, will also be used to agitate for justice for those killed during recent demonstrations.
The four ODM members nominated to the Cabinet are Nominated MP John Mbadi (National Treasury), National Assembly Minority Leader and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum) and ODM Deputy Party Leaders Hassan Joho (Mining and the Blue Economy) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and SMEs).
Nonetheless, the decision by President Ruto to create a broad-based government and reappoint many of the dismissed ministers appears to have rubbed the youth the wrong way.
This is despite Dr Ruto saying the new-look Cabinet would help him drive the transformation of the country.
“It was necessary to have a fresh start. The protests were an eye-opener that gave me an opportunity to reorganise my administration to ensure inclusivity for the sake of harmony and development,” President Ruto said recently.
“We will work on the timelines Kenyans have given us. Some of these people have good track records.”
Song composed
The young Kenyans have been making and circulating posters on social media, with the schedule of activities leading to the marches.
The action plan includes mobilisation on social media platforms like TikTok, WhatsApp and Facebook through creating and sharing videos as well as updating WhatsApp statuses and sharing with contacts.
On the other hand, the youth have been posting and sharing awareness on the demonstrations on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
A song has been composed, urging the youth to turn out in numbers. “A day is coming when we will show them we have nothing to fear. We see that they do not hear so we say tarehe nane tokea,” the song goes.
The Gen Zs seem to pay no attention to the President even after he talked tough last month.
While at a church in Bomet County on July 21, the President vowed to “protect the nation”, adding that he had given all a chance to make their views public.
President Ruto continued drumming up support for his government on Sunday, saying it has created a striking collaboration that will help unlock Kenya’s potential.
He added that there are no longer two sides of the political divide, ensuring the government focuses on development.
“I formed a government that will bring Kenyans together. Let us come together and build one government that will serve the people of Kenya and bring development,” President Ruto said.
A majority of the youth say the country’s leadership has failed to listen to Kenyans, insisting they would now be calling for the resignation of the President.
Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Abraham Korir Sing’oei minced no words on Tuesday, calling for tougher measures against what he described as violent demonstrations.
Societal pollution
In a statement posted on X, Dr Sing’oei labelled the protests a form of societal pollution.
The PS argued that the repercussions of such “unrest” are borne by the private sector, “which has been struggling under the weight of continuous disruptions”.
“Part of the reason to regulate and firmly deal with violent and chaotic protests is that protesters do not internalise the cost of their actions,” Dr Sing’oei’s post reads.
“This cost is transferred and borne by someone else – the private sector. Like pollution, violent protests must be regulated before they cause irremediable public cost.”
The Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims (Supkem) on Sunday called on the Gen Zs to suspend the demonstrations, adding that they should give the broad-based government time to settle down and deliver on its pledges.
Supkem chairperson Sheikh Hassan ole Naado said young Kenyans should call off today’s demonstrations and give the new Cabinet a chance to work and meet the demands raised.
“Let the youth end the calls for demonstrations and give the government time to work. There has not been any peaceful demonstration and destruction and deaths are likely to occur,” Mr Naado said.
