Make peace with Gen Z or resign, Kenyan diaspora tells Ruto

It will no longer be business as usual, and the Kenya Kwanza government has been put on notice by the youth, Kenyans living in the US say.

The Kenyan diaspora term the recent protests by Gen Z, against the Finance Bill 2024 as a critical turning point for President William Ruto’s government.

Speaking under the Kenya Diaspora Alliance-USA, the professionals and entrepreneurs say the government must style up or risk being run out of office.

Kenya Diaspora Alliance-USA president Saisi Marasa said the bold protests mean Kenyans are tired of corruption and incompetence in government.

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“The brave actions by the youth on the streets should send a strong message to all leaders in government. President Ruto must crack the whip on his Cabinet. It will no longer be business as usual,” he told The Standard in Atlanta, Georgia.

He applauded the youth for standing up and speaking truth to power. “Your sentiments on government largesse, over taxation and corruption, electioneering in church have been heard loud and clear. We urge the government to listen to Kenyans on immediate concerns. Our beloved country is larger than any one individual,” said Dr Marasa.

Businessman Maina wa Njuguna said the protests should signify the end of unaccountability and incompetence in government.

“The bills to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and some Western nations are finally due. They must be paid as we all know, there’s no free lunch. The Jubilee administration and now the Kenya Kwanza regime operated budget deficits for years and went on a borrowing and spending spree to develop infrastructure. We are yet to fully account for the loans and how they were utilized,” he said.

Mr Njuguna said the KK government must navigate carefully to grow the economy and create jobs for the restless youth.

“President Ruto and all politicians must engage positively with Kenyans, especially the youth whose future is at stake. Let this also be the beginning of engaging the administration in a meaningful manner and keeping our leaders accountable at every level of governance,” he added.

Researcher and scholar Mkawasi Mcharo Hall urged all Kenyans to be fully present in this moment, to mourn the dead and call their spirit to presence, to stamp the value and sanctity of every Kenyan life resolutely and absolutely, and to recognize this moment as one that is about ending incompetence and unaccountability in governance.

“This moment is not about an individual; it is not about President Ruto. He is a cog in the system too, a cog that is cognizant of its pivotal role in sustaining and benefiting from the system. “Ruto Must Go” is not about one man’s fate. It is a cry to change governance. If President Ruto goes and nothing else about the system changes, we achieve nothing,” she told The Standard.

She also urged the youth to hold leaders at all levels to account. “GenZ must not ever give up that seed of nonviolent change that they planted. Kenyans caught it like a shining light that came through a dark tunnel of long hours of lonely struggles. Nonviolence is the only place where hope lies, the only path to a new economic order. Illuminating the 2024 Finance Bill has forced Kenyans to zoom out of their private lives and see their personal struggles as part of a larger system, one that connects sufurias of ugali to legislation on a national level and to manipulation on a global level,” she said.

Previously seen as keyboard warriors, the Gen Zs, surprised many Kenyans and the world indeed by pouring onto the streets to protest what they termed punitive taxes and opulence by the Kenya Kwanza leaders.

Biotechnology and author Washington Osiro urged President Ruto to listen to his detractors and Kenyans at large. “Set aside your ego and actively listen to and hear what your detractors are saying. Beyond this, work with them to expeditiously actualise their concerns.

Fair-minded Kenyans will acknowledge your empathy, emotional intelligence, and efforts to reach across the aisle if they are consistent, sustained, and reflect their concerns,” said Mr Osiro.

The Kenya Diaspora Alliance-USA also condemned the killing of unarmed protesters and conveyed condolences to affected families.

“We urge the government and the President to uphold the right to peaceful demonstrations and protection of all Kenyans and property. This is our beloved nation and we will continue seeking progress,” added Dr Marasa.