President Ruto hosts X space as Gen Z create parallel platforms

President William Ruto [PCS]

The highly anticipated X Space hosted by President William Ruto encountered technical issues, preventing tens of thousands from joining the conversation. Many who attempted to participate were met with a “Could Not Fetch Space” notification, causing significant frustration.

This event followed three weeks of anti-government protests led by Gen Z in response to a parliamentary Finance Bill. Despite the resistance, the president ultimately rejected the bill under pressure from the protesters.

Initially intended as a dialogue for Gen Z to voice their concerns to the president, the agenda shifted as government officials and politicians began asking questions, sidelining the youth. In response, Gen Z created parallel X Spaces.

The Gen Z community accused Osama Otero, a prominent influencer allegedly abducted by government security forces a week prior, of being ‘compromised’ when it was announced he would co-host the X Space discussion with the president.

Under the hashtag #EngageThePresident, President Ruto emphasized the significance of engaging the public on the X platform, calling it a historic moment for public engagement in the country. Despite the technical issues, President Ruto was eventually hosted by X user Osama Otero after several attempts.

President Ruto apologized for the technical glitches and addressed contentious decisions, including recent incidents of police brutality. Originally scheduled for 2 PM, the session was delayed until 2:20 PM and faced ongoing challenges, causing the president to rejoin the space multiple times. By 5 PM, the space had 160,000 participants and garnered over 27,000 comments.

Earlier, government efforts rallied ministries and state agencies to join the space. First daughter Charlene Ruto appealed to the youth on her X platform, encouraging them to engage constructively.

“Young people, the chance of a lifetime awaits you. I encourage you to use it wisely and engage constructively because you are the ones who will determine the continuity of such levels of discussion for your success. The first ever president in the world to hold an online meeting with all Gen Z. Leggoo!” she posted on X.

Prominent figures in the X Space included Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen, Ababu Namwamba, and Florence Bore, alongside Governors Susan Kihika (Nakuru) and Ali Roba (Mandera), Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, and Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa. The Ministry of Health and the State Department of Diaspora Affairs also participated.

Several other spaces were created to counter the president’s move, with netizens expressing frustration at being unable to join the main discussion. X bigwig and anti-Ruto advocate Kimuzi hosted “Betrayal in the City” and “Aluta Continua,” user Bookten hosted “State of the Nation,” and others hosted “The Official Jacob Juma Memorial” simultaneously.

The late Jacob Juma [File, Standard]

The Ghost of Jacob Juma

Years after his death, tweets by the late businessman Jacob Juma resurfaced on the X platform. Known for his controversial views, Juma's old tweets, such as one from July 4, 2015, are now being seen as prophetic amid the ongoing protests.

“We should also burn the houses of the corrupt, vehicles, companies, and anything that was bought using the proceeds of corruption,” Juma tweeted.

Before his death in 2016, Juma had warned about a Ruto presidency and predicted his own demise, which he attributed to then Deputy President Ruto. During his burial, politician Cyrus Jirongo mentioned that Juma would be buried with a torch and knife, a traditional ritual of the Batura clan.

Juma was shot twice in the chest by individuals on a motorcycle while driving home from a bar. He gained prominence in the 1992 "Young Turks" movement under the ruling party KANU. He was a vocal critic of the Jubilee Coalition government, accusing senior members of corruption and suing the government on several occasions, including in 2015 for revoking his company's mining license.

This week, Kenyans on X (KOX) took the protests further by changing their avatars to Jacob Juma's picture and creating trending memes, elevating the protest’s visibility.