How President Ruto can save his Legacy

 

The events of June 25 2024 are still fresh in the mind of Kenyans. While the Gen Z protesters showed unmatched bravery during the #rejectfinacebill protests, the aftermath left a bad taste in the mouth.

Kenyans witnessed in horror as their kin were shot at like criminals when they successfully invaded parliament. An invasion of a protected building as they call it may be considered a crime however in this case it was done by a multitude who got frustrated after their representatives went to bed with the executive Okaying a punitive Finance Bill which was to make their already hard life unbearable.

For the first time in Kenya taxes were imposed on basic commodities like bread, cooking oil and even sanitary pads. During public participation the citizens made their opposition to the proposals  however when the bill was tabled in parliament ,the Members of parliament from the government side still voted yes and it sailed through 195 to 102 votes from the opposition.

The citizens lead by the youth having witnessed how President Ruto bulldozed his way with other bills like the housing levy the previous year wouldn't let him have his way this time. With great mobilization in social media spaces like X platform and tiktok , they urged all in opposition to the bill to show up on Tuesday  25th of June and march in all the towns in Kenya. In Nairobi, the target was obvious, parliament. To kill a snake you attack the head. This new legislation originated from their members of parliament who decided to ignore their pleas and with a sweetener of KSH 2m from statehouse as it was alleged, they quickly rushed the bill through the 3 readings and voted aye to it. All this happened as the youth who comprised the Gen Zs , professionals and ordinary Kenyans started their match to the Nairobi CBD which to culminate in a march to " occupy parliament". 

As the crowd grew and surged towards their target, the police did what they always do, protect their King. Any opposition to this bill was regarded as a vote of no confidence to the government, so the police tried to block the protestors from reaching parliament. They shot tear gas canisters in the direction of the protesters. In the process some got injured but this did not dissuade them from their mission. The police then turned to rubber bullets and live bullets in close succession. At this moment Kenyans and the world witnessed the horrific killing of a man outside parliament who held the Kenyan flag high above his shoulder while chanting "rejectfinancebill" at the top of his voice. That he was shot by a high caliber weapon that shattered his head and spewed his brains on the road is a scene too grotesque even for the uncaring elite. One may ask what kind of threat did he pose while carrying a water bottle and the Kenyan flag ?

At 3 Pm in the same afternoon the citizens, undeterred, brought down the fence of one side of parliament and made their way inside parliament. The same MPs who had previously been deriding their constituents and voting for the bill in spite of their opposition now had to scamper for safety. Their huge mouths full of bile for the citizenry now turned to megaphones, screaming as they made their way through an escape tunnel. The protesters now had time to show their disgust. They made their way to the cafeteria and ate food bought by their taxes. They trashed the dining area of the cafeteria where their Mpigs as they called them, gluttony ate  and forgot about their core mandate as representatives of the people and not the president. Work done, the protesters had to make their way out of parliament as gun wielding officers had regrouped and were ready to take no prisoners.

The nation stood in awe eyes glued to the screens as they witnessed a revolution been televised live on their televisions. The president at that time must have scratching his head terribly probably removing some from their sockets because afterwards at exactly 9pm , he showed up  fuming and calling the protestors criminals and their acts treasonous. He assured them the following day he will deploy the military on the streets to show them how powerful he was. To say that speech wasn't presidential is an understatement.

Since that period the president has been involved in guesswork strategies that ended in him conceding to the demands of the protestors and also rejecting the finance bill and sending it back to parliament with the instruction to delete all clauses. The desperation continued as he also dismissed all his cabinet secretaries and agreed with Kenyans that what was really ailing his government was wastage and incompetence. He also had to go to his nemesis and opposition leader Raila Odinga to help him save face he forms a multi-sectoral dialogue team to find out the real issues to be addressed; the same issues the protesters were saying on the streets and all social platforms that he and his team chose to ignore. Of course this move will like others before be rejected simply because the agitators feel the president is being insincere.

So how can the president save his legacy from now until the year 2027 August when he is up for re-election? HE CAN'T.

The blood of the young men and women which was spilled for making their voices heard will haunt his administration for generations to come. The MPs who supported this bill will also go down with him like the titanic as their political careers sink in the abyss of oblivion.

The Gen Z also have the opportunity to change their strategy from occupying places to mobilization to have their own "OCCUPY SEATS PARLIAMENT" as elected legislators.

Article by:

Emmanuel Ouma

emmanuel.ouma.ke@gmail.com