Rigathi Gachagua Tells Gen-Z Their Concerns Are Noted, Asks Them to Quell Protests

 

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a church service 

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on the Kenyan youth to shun further protests as the government is already acting on their grievances. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua called on the Gen Zs to tone down on their anti-government revolt as President William Ruto was already acting on their grievances.  What is Gachagua's message to Gen Zs? Gachagua noted that goons were leveraging the protests to carry out their sinister agendas, thus painting the young Kenyans in a bad light.  He asked the protest organisers to consider shelving them and allowing the government to reflect on and make amends where necessary regarding the issues that motivated the protests. "The Gen Zs you have spoken to, and we have heard. You have spoken clearly. If you go out for the protests, goons hijack and start to steal and destroy property. Please don't allow criminals and people with criminal intents to use your protests to hijack your issues. What you have said enough, the president has heard you. So let us wait for the next action. We do not want to get something that had good intention hijacked by bad people," said Gachagua. Gen Zs unforeseen uprising against Ruto President William Ruto might never have anticipated a restive citizenry that would rise against his administration to successfully demand better. The past month has been pivotal for Kenyan history, as digital activism forced the president to abide by the wants of an aggrieved public. Local youth, popularly called Gen Zs, leveraged social media to mobilise a never-seen-before movement that many initially dismissed as a pointless cause. This condemned Finance Bill 2024 triggered the first-ever vibrant anti-Ruto revolt away from the traditional opposition under veteran political supremo Raila Odinga. The bill bore a raft of tax measures that would have hurt the financial wellness of already-overtaxed citizens. Why were Kenyans opposed to Finance Bill 2024? Business as usual, the National Treasury presented its budget estimates for the 2024/25 fiscal year to parliament on June 13, projecting an additional KSh 344 billion that the taxpayer was supposed to compensate. Days later, the National Assembly would vote in favour of the bill, which, if signed into the new finance law, would have pressed the taxpayer further to feed the Exchequer with more money to run the government.  The passing of the bill exacerbated the mass action protests, with youths going to the extent of invading parliament to register their frustration. In an unlikely turn of events, Ruto conceded to the pressure and announced a total withdrawal of the bill. He referred it to parliament with a directive to the House to delete all the clauses. Other measures Ruto took to calm the revolters included dismissing the Cabinet, signing the IEBC Bill to start the electoral body reconstitution process, and sanctioning budget cuts in various state departments and agencies. 

by  Kai Eli