Andrew Wasike
Monday July 22, 2024
Kenyan President William Ruto on Sunday said that the ongoing protests in the country must stop.
“I want to promise you that it is going to stop, enough is enough,” Ruto said after attending a church service in Rift Valley's Bomet County, approximately 224 kilometers (139 miles) west of Nairobi.
“Going forward we will protect the nation, we will protect life, we will protect property, we will stop the looters, stop the killers, stop mayhem and anarchy because Kenya is a democracy and we want a peaceful and stable nation because our issues are resolved using democratic means,” Ruto said.
He said that his administration has already made significant concessions in response to the demands of the "leaderless and faceless" Gen Z protesters, including the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024 and the dismissal of almost the entire Cabinet.
Despite these actions, the protests have continued unabated.
“They said we should not pass the Finance Bill, and I dropped it, then I called them, and they said they did not want to come for talks with me,” Ruto said.
“The protesters are still saying they are faceless and formless. I have given everybody a chance to say whatever they want. It cannot continue like this. The country is much more important than any group of people,” he said.
On July 19, Ruto initiated the process of forming a new, broad-based Cabinet by nominating the first batch of 11 individuals.
In the new Cabinet, Ruto retained six of the initial 22 Cabinet secretaries and fronted five new faces for consideration and approval from the National Assembly.
Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga in a statement said Sunday that justice must precede any dialogue, outlining several demands including compensation for the victims of the police “brutality,” the dismissal of protest-related cases, and the release of detainees.
Odinga proposed a National Conversation involving diverse representatives to address issues such as governance, the high cost of living, tribalism, corruption, and fiscal management.
Ruto's administration is under intense scrutiny following weeks of violent demonstrations that resulted in at least 50 deaths and widespread property damage, with the youth vowing to protest again on Tuesday and calling for Ruto's resignation.
The Kenyan government has put the US-based Ford Foundation on notice, accusing the organization of funding the recent deadly anti-government protests that have swept the nation.