Ruto talks tough, warns sponsors of anti-government protests

President William Ruto during a Press briefing where he nominated new Cabinet Secretaries and Attorney General at State House, Nairobi. [PCS]

President William Ruto has warned alleged sponsors of anti-government protests, challenging them to come forward and give him alternatives to his leadership.

Ruto said he would be firm in protecting Kenyans against what he termed as a “tyranny of violence” perpetrated by faceless, formless anarchists keen on replacing democracy with dictatorship.

“Kenya is a democracy and a peaceful country.  We must never, as a country, agree to replace our democracy with a dictatorship and tyranny of faceless, anonymous people who want to use violence and destruction of property and loss of life in place of democracy. 

He added, “We must guard the peace and stability of our nation, and democracy of our country so that it is not undermined and sabotaged by anonymous, faceless, formless and sponsored people who want to use violence, anarchy and mayhem to control our nation.

“And we will deal firmly and resolutely with those who are engaged in mayhem, anarchy, in destroying peoples’ property and causing death. There is no place in our democracy for anyone to have a free license to visit mayhem, anarchy and death on the people of Kenya. We have a government in place,” he said.

Ruto directly challenged those sponsoring, orchestrating, and funding this violence, urging them to step forward and present their alternative visions for the country.

He emphasised that they should not remain anonymous, faceless, or formless but should instead come forward and share their plans for Kenya that go beyond anarchy, destruction, and violence.

"I challenge the shadowy and faceless people and tell us if they have alternative ideas. We are a democracy, and we cannot surrender our democracy to faceless, formless, and anonymous people to destroy our country.” He said.

The President reiterated his call for the media to uphold their responsibility in reporting, emphasizing the need for accurate and balanced coverage.

“I want to urge the media to report responsibly. Reporting, celebrating, and encouraging violence, destruction of property, violence, anarchy, and mayhem is irresponsible. If the country goes the wrong direction, there will be nothing to report and where to go,” Ruto said.

The president said Kenya was more important than any individual and challenged the protestors to declare their end game.

“Our issues are resolved using democratic means.  I want to promise Kenyans the protests are going to stop,” Ruto told a crowd outside the church compound.

He recalled his attempt to reach out to the protesting youth by withdrawing the Finance Bill 2024, introducing austerity measures, and sacking his entire cabinet, saying he had given everyone a chance to say what they wanted.

“I called them for dialogue, they insisted I go to X Space, I went, and they refused to turn up. It cannot continue like this. This country is more important,” Ruto said.

The president made the remarks against the backdrop of Generation Z's plans to resume their weekly protests next Tuesday after disagreeing with him on his new cabinet nominees.

Shortly after last Friday’s announcement of 11 cabinet nominees, including some sacked cabinet secretaries, Kenya largely voiced its concerns, saying the President was yet to understand its demands.

The young people wanted a complete overhaul of the cabinet and demanded new faces, not the same old faces that had held senior government positions over the years.

Ruto’s marks came a day after the Civil Society distanced itself from allegations of fueling violence in the country.

Over twenty civil rights organizations maintained that the demonstrations were fuelled by President Ruto’s adamance to listen to Kenyans' demands.

They defended the Ford Foundation against accusations of funding the countrywide anti-government protests, terming the accusations as “insensible and only meant to distract the public from holding the government accountable.”

“We have been accountable, and all of us are duly registered under the Public Benefits Organisations Act, and those operating under previous regulations like the Companies Act and Community Based Organisations Act are on board,” said Wanjiru Gikonyo, board member of the Kenya Human Rights Commission. 

Yesterday, during the church service, Ruto urged the clergy to pray for him and his government, saying he was ready to continue to support the church despite the ban on harambees.

Ruto said parliament will come up with new regulations and a new model of conducting fundraising.

“We will conduct robust public participation that ensures fundraising is done in a way that respects the country's laws,” said Ruto.