Lee Njiru: Ignoring public discontent risks unraveling leadership

Lee Njiru, Head of Presidential Press Service under the late President Moi. [Screen Grab]

July 2024 will be remembered as a historic turning point in Kenya, with thousands of citizens nationwide taking to the streets for weeks, demanding governmental change.

These sustained protests led President William Ruto to reject the 2024 Finance Bill and dissolve his entire Cabinet.

However, despite public outcry, Ruto reinstated some of the ministers in the new Cabinet, a move that has sparked further debate.

Lee Njiru, a long-serving civil servant and former Head of Presidential Press Service under the late President Moi, weighed in on the situation on Spice FM. He cautioned that President Ruto risks losing control if he continues to disregard the will of the people.

"The problem with the political class is that they act as though they are untouchable, forgetting that the very people who put them in office are watching closely," Njiru remarked.

"We are trying to restrain Gen Z by reasoning with them. But if politicians continue down this path, they are on their own. They are the authors of their own problems."

The former President Moi’s Press Secretary emphasised that politicians often fail to heed the warning signs.

"The writing is on the wall," he said. "But they can’t see it. Who will teach them?"

In a rapidly changing world, Njiru believes that wisdom is often overshadowed by haste. He argued that seasoned individuals, with a wealth of life experience, are the ones the President and his advisers should consult.

He added that advisers should not be mere peers or social companions, as they are unlikely to provide the honest, critical feedback needed when public discontent is growing.

His comments come in the wake of Ruto's appointment of new Cabinet Secretaries, including several top leaders from the ODM Party.

This decision has sparked widespread discontent among Kenyans, who argue that the country needs competent leaders, not politicians tainted by corruption allegations and a history of ineffective leadership.