President William Ruto declared on Sunday that he will “protect the nation” going forward, stating that he has already provided ample opportunity for everyone to express their views.
Speaking in Bomet County after a church service, Ruto addressed Generation Zoomers (Gen Z) with a firm “enough is enough.”
He emphasized that he had already made numerous concessions, including rejecting the Finance Bill, 2024, yet the protests persist.
“I dropped the Finance Bill, I called them to come to the table and talk to me, they refused and asked me to go to X, I went there but they ran away,” Ruto said.
“I have called them for talks but they have refused saying they are faceless and formless.”
The President had called on young people to nominate 50 representatives to participate in a multi-sectoral forum scheduled to start last Monday.
However, the six-day forum was delayed as various sectors reportedly did not submit the names of their nominees.
The dialogue aimed to address the concerns raised by protesters and other pressing issues facing the country.
President Ruto warned Generation Z that it will not be business as usual going forward.
“I have told them, my friends, It must now come to an end, I have given a chance to everybody to say whatever they want, it can’t continue like this, the country is more important than any group of people, we must stand together as a nation and protect our nation,” he said.
“Going forward we will protect the nation, we will protect lives, we will protect property, stop the looters, stop the killers, stop mayhem because Kenya is a democracy and we want a stable nation,” he said.
The president criticized the protesters and their leaders for failing to explain their ultimate goals following the destruction of property and loss of lives.
“I want to promise you that it is going to stop, enough is enough,” the president told the public outside the church.
This is the president’s sternest warning to the protesters since the demonstrations began in June.
The warning follows President Ruto’s recent Cabinet appointments, including the reinstatement of Kithure Kindiki as Interior CS.
Additionally, he announced significant changes in police leadership after a major reorganization, prompting protesters to declare their plans to return to the streets this week.
