Kenyan Opposition leaders spend huge amounts of time everyday talking about Raila Odinga and Azimio Coalition and how much they love the Gen Z rebellion that has rocked the country for three months now but those same leaders never utter a single word about what they are doing for Gen Z and other Kenyans living in poverty and misery.
For Gen Z protestors there are very basic things these opposition leaders could be doing now if they were really interested in offering practical help for those brave Kenyans who took to our streets demanding a better life for all Kenyans not just for them. What is the opposition group doing today to help reduce cost of living in the country? Absolutely nothing.
Gen Z protestors and other Kenyans who just happened to be out there were murdered by the Kenya police, many were arrested and others abducted and brutalized by the police.
A few days ago President Ruto ordered that all those arrested should be released. Raila Odinga himself has publicly asked the president to release all those arrested or abducted in demos.
A protester is grabbed by police during a demonstration against Kenya’s finance bill in Nairobi, June 25
If I was in the opposition the first thing I would be doing is to check and ensure that all those arrested have been released. Who are they? What state of health are they in? Are there police detainees and those abducted still in custody?
Please make sure that all those young people brutalized and arrested by the Kenya police are out of jail and those who need health services are getting them. And more importantly where is the justice for those victims of state terrorism? Those young people should sue the Ruto government for violence against them and for unlawful detention in police cells.
I know how that works because I am one of those Kenyans who have successfully sued the Kenya government for torture and unlawful imprisonment. I was actually awarded Sh. 4 million by Justice Isaac Lenaola in 2014 and they have paid some of it and believe it or not I am still fighting to get the full amount paid.
It is a very tough job and the first thing those who really support the Gen Z victims of state violence and arrests should be doing is to get lawyers for the victims to file their cases on abuse of their rights and endangerment of their lives.
That is where you start and there are very good Kenyan lawyers out there ready to do that kind of work and they have been doing it for victims of Moi violence and abuse against Kenyans.
The really important thing about suing the government for abuse of human rights is that it is a deterrence against future abuse when the Gen Z take back to the streets which they are going to do if things fall apart with this new cabinet.
For the families of the young Kenyans killed by the Kenya police there is need for urgent legal support for them to file cases of their family members being murdered by the Ruto police.
Those are very serious cases that will help unlock a whole bunch of secret murders by Kenya police. Is anybody helping these families to file cases?
Lets just take one case of the more than 60 young Kenyans brutally murdered by the Kenya police in the last two months.
Images of the late Rex Masai, shot in Nairobi CBD during finance Bill 2024 protests.
We are talking about the case Rex Kanyike Masai whose family now need help to seek justice for their son and the family and the mother has been out there asking for justice? Can somebody help her and other mothers in the same situation?
Rex Masai’s Mother Breaks Silence Over Death of Son.
Julian Manya, the mother of 29-year-old Rex Kanyike Masai, who was fatally shot by a police officer during protests against the Finance Bill 2024 in Nairobi CBD, has shared her profound sorrow and grief over the loss of her son.
Speaking at the City Mortuary, she said that she received the news of her son being shot at around 7 pm but he was already dead when she got to the CBD.
Additionally, she said that her son was on his way from work when he was caught in the melee in town.
The best way to handle these cases is for those helping the families and the victims to contact the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) or Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) and ask them to help you get human rights lawyers whom they know very well.
Those lawyers do not charge a penny to file the cases and they will apply for legal costs to be paid by the government when they pay the compensation. If you go to the commercial lawyers they want a ton of money just to file the case. The Legal Society of Kenya (LSK) can also help but the victims need organized groups to get things going.
Once all these cases are filed, President Ruto is going to be terrified and he may agree to an outright compensation settlement through the courts without having the full hearing of the cases but the filing has to be done now when the cases are still raw and there is a lot of evidence of abuse in media reports and even in those police stations and hospitals where some of the victims were taken. The lawyers will collect all the evidence once the cases are filed.
These real issues with regard to the police violence against Gen Z protestors don’t seem to be of any importance to the likes of Kalonzo Musyoka and Eugene Wamalwa and instead their concerns seems to be focused on how to hijack the Azimio Coalition and demonize Raila Odinga for getting a few cabinet members to help sort out the mess in the country if that is at all possible.
Just about everyday in media reports Kalonzo expresses his dissatisfaction with Odinga’s decision to support Ruto’s government, calling it a betrayal of the principles that the opposition coalition represents.
“You are either with the Gen Zs and the people of Kenya, or with Zakayo. It is as simple as that. I Want to invite all the Kenyans of the goodwill, we unite and save our country, we do not have another country,” Musyoka said.
“Naskia hataki kuitwa Zakayo peke yake, he laughs, those who joined the government from the opposition should know that their boss is William Ruto.” Kalonzo added.
Eugene Wamalwa also commented on the ongoing political dynamics, assuring Kenya’s youth that Azimio remains committed to good governance.
Wamalwa asserted that the youth are not alone in their quest for accountability and transparency, and pledged the coalition’s continued support.
“We are here to tell you today, the Gen Zs of this county and of this country, that you are not alone, even if you feel betrayed, you are not alone, we stand with you,” Wamalwa assured the youth.
“There are those who say Zakayo must go and then those who say Zakayo must stay. There are irrevocable differences,” Wamalwa added.
Just today I saw a piece of stunning news from one of Kalonzo Musyoka’s main right hand man, Senator Maanzo promising that Wiper Party will support Gen Z to run for elective positions in the next election. Does this man know that 90% of those Gen Z freedom fighters do not even have IDs and have no Voting Cards? As things stand now they cannot vote leave alone run for office.
Today, The Kenya government is not issuing IDs except for people connected to those running the show. Voter registration is not even in the horizon because there is no IEBC and Kalonzo Muysoka himself has promised to stop the team appointed to recruit the IEBC commissioners. Can Gen Z youth vote using Wiper Party membership cards? If that is the case they are all joining Wiper in millions.
Thousands of youth, mainly GenZ’s held massive demonstrations in Kenya’s capital Nairobi and other major towns in June, July 2024 to protest against the Finance Bill 2024, with some saying “Ruto Must GO.”
Wiper Party to Support Generation Z Candidates for 2027 Elections, Says Senator Maanzo
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has hinted that the Wiper party plans to support youths from the Generation Z Movement who aspire to run for various positions in the 2027 general elections.
Senator Maanzo stated that the Kalonzo Musyoka-led party is open to welcoming new members from Generation Z who are interested in running for office.
He encouraged Gen Z individuals to register as voters with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to participate in the political process and join political parties of their choice ahead of the 2027 elections.
If there is one thing that all of Azimio Coalition leadership should be doing is to have direct meetings with President Ruto to sort out issuing of IDs which does not cost the government anything and then focus on voter registration which requires that the IEBC issues be worked out promptly and voter registration starts right after that. Just telling the Gen Z to come join your party and vote is nonsense until they actually have voting cards.
Politicians want to behave and look like they support Gen Z in their demands for a better country but they have no clue about the basics like getting voter cards. Start from there please.
Today Raila Odinga told Kenyans while at the funeral for Mzee Chirchir Masit how he ended up trying to help President Ruto steady up a country that was on the verge of falling to pieces in the last three months.
When the country was in turmoil, former President Kenyatta asked me to reach out to President Ruto about the concerns of Gen Z and Kenyans in general. While I am running for the AUC chairperson’s position, my priority remains stabilizing my home country for future generations.
“When the country was burning, Uhuru called and told me to look for Ruto and speak to him; if the country burns, we won’t have another. Ni mpaka tuzime huu moto watu waketi chini waelewane,” Odinga said.
“So William looked for me and we talked. Si mnajua huwa sifichi mambo, I speak directly. The media is publishing articles saying Raila-Ruto Handshake, hakuna handshake.”
Right now Raila Odinga needs to talk to President William Ruto and bring in the entire Azimio team or at least those who want to and sort out a voter registration program so that Kenyans can honestly focus on a next General Election where all Kenyans and particularly the Gen Z population will be ready and armed to vote or run for office with their voting cards. Let the opposition do practical things instead of whining endlessly.
In terms of development, President Ruto is back to the same old tricks of making pledges worth hundreds of billions when his government has no money. It is back to rallies and laying foundation stones for buildings and roads that will never be completed. How is that development when the government is literally broke?
President Ruto Pledges Billions For Roads In Kirinyaga
President William Ruto in his Mt Kenya tour has pledged to implement development projects worth billions in Kirinyaga County.
The President who spoke during his visit to the county on Saturday said his administration has set aside Sh500 million to connect over 7,000 households to power.
Ruto said the power projects will benefit all constituencies under the last mile connectivity programme that had stalled for some time but has since been revived.
“Tunataka kila nyumba ipate stima ndio kuwe na mwangaza na tuweze kufukuza shetani (We want each house to have power so that we can be able to kick out the devil” the President said
President William Ruto laid a foundation stone in Nyamira County on Monday, August 12, 2024.
In terms of development and bringing this new government to its feet the first thing is for the new Cabinet Secretary for the Treasury John Mbadi to prepare and present a new budget that is acceptable to Kenyans and not just to the government.
Yesterday the new CS said that he is going to do his budget and may bring back some of what he called progressive provisions in the Finance Bill 2024. Of course the twitter geniuses on the economy are already shouting that Mbadi will revive the old budget and that will kill the government.
Here is the deal. Kenya like any other country in the world can only work and achieve anything for the citizens and the country when they have a budget. Right now Kenya has no budget and it has to be done.
For example one big issue on the budget that the new Treasury boss has to deal with is the issue of VAT which is presently being charged at 16% even though the budgets for that both in 2023 and 2024 are dead.
John Mbadi could try to set a new VAT at 10% or a maximum of 12%. Lets start with a 10% VAT. The government gets additional 2% from the original 8% and the Kenyan public who is charged VAT on everything saves 6% which is a huge saving for Kenyans as they buy stuff they need to sustain their lives and their families.
If Mbadi proposes that and takes it to the public for meaningful public participation and it is accepted it would be a great victory for everybody including the Gen Z activists who wanted the cost of living addressed. The government may end with less money but they will at least have a legal budget for once since William Ruto took office two years ago and can build from there.
That is how problems of this magnitude are resolved because it is ridiculous to imagine that Kenya can function without any budget at all and it is also delusional for the government to imagine that they can revive the old rejected budget and impose it on Kenyans again.
The other big national budget agenda item is the billions allocated to key state operatives to turn their offices into their own Buckingham Palaces and tons of money to spend entertaining themselves. That just has to stop.
Also President William Ruto has to focus on real achievable things that help every Kenyan use those little pieces of land they have productively by providing farming equipment and agricultural input. How about helping that teacher build a house in their land instead of waiting forever for imaginary affordable houses.
And the crazy promises like the idea of construction of 263 dams across the country at an estimated cost of Sh. 500 billion which was promised to Kenyans yesterday has to stop. Yes Kenyans always see their president and other politicians laying foundation stones for huge projects and they have never seen President William Ruto actually open a single finished project.
All those projects with foundation stones being laid now are just for showboat politics and it is not helpful to the government and useless to Kenyans. You can fool some people some time but you can’t fool all the people all the time. That is the great legend Bob Marley talking not me.
Here is the big deal for the new Ruto government. If the next Finance Bill which is in the hands of Treasury CS John Mbadi and President William Ruto flops and Kenyans rebel against it then it is game over for this government. No amount of broad based government can save Ruto from that. It is a pretty straight forward situation. There is no science to it. It is basic common sense.
Do something about our schools to make them places where our kids can learn and grow. Do something about our hospitals to help Kenyans deal with their health concerns. Do practical work to restructure and build a people based economy.
Yes Kenya now has a broad based government but it is only broad based according to tribes and not according to income because we still have a government of millionaires and billionaires. Kenya under William Ruto has been a government of the rich by the rich and for the rich Kenyans and it has failed miserably. Let’s deal with that by helping ordinary Kenyans to grow their own economies and have good income.
And for schools here is something that really shocked me in yesterday’s newspapers. Can anybody believe that the building right here below is actually a school ridiculously enough for early childhood learning. For the love of God who on earth is going to put their child there?
Where is Gideon Ochanda the MP for this area since 2013. What is he doing with the CDF money which is meant to build these schools?
Here is the story from Standard Newspaper on August 12, 2024
Nyangera Primary: Siaya’s ‘forgotten’ school crying out for help to stay afloat
Dilapidated ECD classrooms at Nyangera Primary School in Yimbo East Ward, Siaya County.
“Nyangera Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centre in Bondo sub-county is crying for help.
The ECD centre –if it qualifies to be called so –is in bad shape.
A rusty roof and collapsing mud walls prepare you for what to expect at the center, tucked inside Yimbo East ward in Siaya County.
A fading Action Aid signage on the classroom forms part of the fondest memory of the year when a benefactor helped the school.
Action Aid, a non-governmental organization in 2005, built a classroom that now badly needs a facelift if it is to withstand the young learners’ quest for basic education.
More than ten years since the inception of devolution and 70 years after the school was established, young learners know what it means to endure a life of hardship.
Theirs is an isolated community that survives without the barest learning facilities such as a classrooms and teachers.
Despite many appeals by the community to the county government of Siaya to build an ECD centre at the school, everything has remained elusive.
According to the school’s Board of Management (BOM) chairman Mr Gilbert Owaki, the school is in dire need of a modern learning facilities”.
