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Kenyan President William Ruto has directed blame to the foreign countries, accusing them of being financiers who aim to sabotage his government in the name of protesting against the Finance Bill 2024, referring to the ongoing Kenyan Gen Z Protests.
Ruto, who has recently found himself at a crossroads as a result of the tough demands from Gen Z, accused the foreign powers, urging them to quail the situation and allow him to work for the Kenyan people as per the manifesto that he delivered to the people during his 2022 campaigns.
According to Ruto, the protests are a tandem to destabilize his good plans for a country that is democratically governed by the rule of law.
Presidential Statement in response to the Ongoing Kenyan Gen Z Protests
“Those in the foreign countries who are attempting to interfere with our affairs as a country, I want to let them know that Kenya is a democratic nation and this is our country, and as per the reaction from the beloved Kenyans, there should be no one who will leave this country due to the chaos that leads to destruction,” said the President after visiting Kajiado County.
President Ruto reiterates that he is a national leader who believes in the rule of law and blatantly knows that the sovereign power belongs to the people as per the Kenyan Constitution 2010, and there should be no one to infiltrate the decisions of the people with regard to the progress of the nation.
“There is no need to bring mayhem to the country or use shortcuts because the Kenyans are clever and they are the decision-makers when it comes to driving Kenya forward,” he added.
IEBC Amendment Bill Signed into Law
His reaction comes a day after signing off the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) amendment bill into law at the KICC building in Nairobi. The assent of the IEBC bill was a result of mounting pressure from the Gen Z, among other protesters, who demanded the reconstitution of a new IEBC commission to handle matters regarding elections.
Being one of the nine bills documented in the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, the IEBC bill is considered a turning point in Kenyan history that will enable it to move forward as a democratic country.
The Kenyan Gen Z Protests and Their Impact
For the last few weeks, Kenya has been mired in protest, with demonstrators denouncing the tax policies of William Ruto in a deadly strike that claimed 39 lives, most of them in Nairobi on June 25th, when protesters briefly overran Parliament and set a portion of it ablaze. Looting also erupted in several towns and cities, although it is unclear whether this was by state-backed provocateurs, as the protesters allege, or by opportunist criminals, as Mr. Ruto claims.
The Nature of the Protests the Kenyan Gen Z Protests
The protests, driven by eloquent, educated Kenyans who are unsullied by political or tribal allegiance, are a push for an end to corruption, injustice, and inequality.
A United Front Against Injustice
Instead of championing a self-serving political leader or faction, they have denounced the entire political class. These protests have consequently united rather than polarized. Perhaps the only parallel that can be drawn is with the protests led by the present lot’s parents, who also braved police bullets in 1990 to demand, successfully, an end to dictatorship and the restoration of multiparty elections.
Read more:
Implications of Withdrawing the Kenyan Finance Bill on EAC – Somali Magazine
Ruto links foreign forces to current crisis facing country (the-star.co.ke)