Tone-deaf President draws backlash over out of touch remark on demos

Everyone else seems to see issues that took Generation Z protesters to the streets on Wednesday in peaceful marches that turned violent, leading to the deaths of at least 15 Kenyans.

The clergy, diplomatic corps, civil society and Gen-Z themselves all seem to understand the reason for the widespread anger at President William Ruto’s administration.

Not the government, which has played defensive since thousands of youth poured into the streets across the country to air their frustrations about a shrinking democratic space, a situation unchanged one year since they raised similar grievances.

And questions from a year ago about Ruto re-emerge: Is he tone deaf? Has he learnt nothing from last year’s demos? Is he willing to listen to the frustrated Gen Z”?

According to the President and other State functionaries, everyone else is wrong about the Kenya Kwanza administration. The clergy, which has consistently urged Ruto to listen and support Gen-Z instead of suppressing dissent, are enabling the incitement of the masses against the State.

Western envoys, who made the same plea ahead of the June 25 demos, do not have the exact picture of the reality in Kenya, according to the government. The free press, which has played a critical role in highlighting instances of police brutality, should not report events “as they are,” as suggested by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. And so switching some of them is justified.

Hate for leaders

Ruto cut a dejected look on Friday when he bashed Gen-Z for recent demonstrations, claiming the protests were driven by “hate for leaders” that could “burn the country.”

“I have tried listening to the people organising the demonstrations and they have said three things: They have said they love Kenya, but they hate the leaders; they have talked something about One-Term; and they have said Ruto must go. Those are the things I have listened to,” the President said during a function at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi. “If you truly love Kenya, then don’t burn your country. If you are telling us you truly love this nation, don’t be part of the problem; figure out how we are going to get solutions. If you hate the leaders, I want to tell you that hate builds conflict—conflict builds violence. Violence is not a solution to any of the challenges that Kenya is facing,” Ruto added.

Through his remarks, the Head of State sought to call out the violence and looting witnessed during Wednesday’s demos, staged to commemorate a year since 60 young Kenyans were killed in an uprising sparked by proposed tax hikes, but which morphed into a push for pro-democracy reforms.

“What is going on in these streets – people think it is fashionable to go there, take selfies and post on social media,” the President went on, remarks that may come out as demeaning to the Gen-Z movement and their push for reforms.

Ruto’s rant completed an all-out assault on the protests, which began with Murkomen, who termed the demos “terrorism disguised as dissent”, alleging a coup attempt supported by unnamed political figures.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki threatened a crackdown on protesters, “whatever it takes.”

“The government will never allow what happened in Kenya to ever happen again… whatever it takes. Na msiniulize tutafanya nini (Don’t ask what we will do),” Kindiki said in Machakos County, remarks that mirror similar ones by Ruto on the evening of June 25, 2024, when he called protesters who raided Parliament “organised criminals.”

Indeed, goons, some believed to have been hired by sections of the political class, looted and burned down businesses. To some extent, such acts were enabled by police inaction, with police officers captured by sections of the media letting armed goons run riot as they watched in some instances.

Similarly, there was widespread violence against police officers and their stations, who themselves countered peaceful protests with live and rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons.

Still, remarks by the top government officials suffer fatal flaws, such as the claim that Gen-Z do not have an agenda beyond the three Ruto stated, raising questions about whether the government is intent on listening to the youth and addressing their concerns. Although Gen-Z have also rallied around the One-Term agenda, this push is largely fronted by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies in the opposition.

The most recent protest was largely driven by the fight for justice for victims of police brutality, as The Saturday Standard heard in multiple interviews with demonstrators. This was evident in the fact that their first stop was the Central Police Station in Nairobi, where Albert Ojwang’, a 31-year-old teacher, was killed, according to a police officer, James Mukhwana, one of the suspects in the murder.

Suba Churchill, the executive director of the Kenya National Civil Society Centre, acknowledged that the grievances by the youth were genuine, although he argued “they could be expressed in alternative means.”

“We have seen young people develop the capacity to engage constructively… We want to see a government that you know sets aside a day or two to dialogue with the citizens, including Gen-Z, and their representatives, so that we craft some form of solutions outside you know this chaos,” said Suba.

“When we see government itself escalate things, you are left wondering who else will deescalate them, because a government should lead the rest of the people as they follow in ensuring that we find practical solutions to some of these things, even though they are already provided for in the Constitution,” he added.

Despite promising justice for Ojwang’s death and the recent unprovoked shooting of Boniface Kariuki, a mask vendor, in Nairobi, the government has seemed half-hearted about ending brutality. On Thursday, Murkomen patted the police on the back, lauding them for showing great restraint “despite provocation,” despite incidents that saw the security agents shoot down protesters.

“The President is not ready to listen,” said Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi. “I’m surprised by the words coming out of Murkomen’s mouth and that of the Deputy President. Murkomen is a lawyer, and Kindiki is a professor of law. They should make statements that bring unity to the country and not cause resentment.”

Learnt little

University lecturer Macharia Munene said the government seems to have learnt little from last year’s protests and risks sustained protests in future. “These grievances will not disappear overnight. There will be a short period of calm, but you never know what will happen in future. That means the President should start listening other than himself and those in his inner circle,” said Prof Munene, who argued the government was “deliberately tone-deaf.”

Evidence that the government has, perhaps, picked up a few lessons from last year’s demos lies in the recurring narratives. They include blasting foreign envoys, which mirror claims that foreign entities, such as the Ford Foundation, had sponsored last year’s protests.

“The Gen-Z movement is a Kenyan movement, and it is not people from the opposition or Mount Kenya who went to protest. It was the whole country that participated. That means Kenyans are unhappy and passing a message through the demonstrations,” said Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo.

Indeed, from their words, it is evident that Ruto and his allies are trying to associate Gen-Z with Gachagua, spreading an agenda that delegitimises the movement. Indeed, the narrative that equates the protests to an attempted coup also featured last year. The government has not arrested or charged any protester for treason since. “So, who was the coup leader, and who was to be installed after the regime change? Which audience are you deceiving or appealing to? This is a manifestation of the problem we have with the non-listening leaders in Kenya,” former LSK president Nelson Havi posted in reaction to Murkomen’s sensational claims.

Similarly, there are concerns about growing political tokenism, driven by Kindiki, as empowerment programmes. The DP and other government functionaries continue to make huge donations countrywide, unaccounted for by their salaries, fueling allegations of corruption.

Others include austerity measures and a reduction in non-essential spending, which have been betrayed by instances of bloated budgets for some offices.