The Kenyan Scholar

Kenyan President William Ruto dismissed practically his entire government and selected his first group of new ministers following pressure from widespread protests.

Six of the 11 people Ruto identified on Friday were among the ones he fired, including Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki. Attorney General Rebecca Miano was the previous Trade Cabinet Secretary.

Others chosen to the new cabinet include a mix of experts from diverse areas with low-key political backgrounds. Parliament still has to approve Ruto's selections.

Ruto stated that putting the nation back on course will be the responsibility of the reorganized government. He declared that the cabinet will address public debt management, job creation, and accountability in the next week and would provide a new roadmap with targets and timetables.

Last week, Kenya's president was widely anticipated to appoint supporter of his political adversary and 2022 election opponent, Raila Odinga, to the cabinet. However, some members of the opposition coalition that Odinga heads, Azimio, were not pleased with his rumored plan to join a government with Ruto.

The Wiper Democratic Movement's Kalonzo Musyoka declared moments before Ruto's speech that the coalition would not support the creation of the "broad-based cabinet." He referred to it as a betrayal of the youthful demonstrators.

It is a betrayal, indeed! We may have to accept the hard fact that nothing will change while the Kenya Kwanza government is in power and that the alleged cabinet restructuring would simply be cosmetic based on Ruto's selection of cabinet members.

Although the removal of the cabinet was viewed as a significant victory for the protest movement, many demonstrators were not pleased to see those fired last week reappointed.

Following a month of protests against tax policy and government corruption, mostly by Gen Z and millennials, Ruto first dismissed the cabinet under strong pressure. Reappointing the cabinet members is akin to "spitting in our faces," given that it is already terrible enough that at least 60 people have already died in the demonstrations and that their families have not yet received justice. As of yesterday the of 4th August, NTV reported that there are 247 unidentified bodies in the morgue.

This is why the young protestors will have to return to the streets until they understand that this is a new Kenya. All of us desire merit-based hiring and an end to the recycling of leaders.

So, this is why Generation Z has stayed firm on anti-government rallies, even if President William Ruto decided to give in to some of their requests. By refusing to sign the contentious Finance Bill 2024 and removing all of his cabinet members save the Prime Cabinet Secretary, the president had sought to soothe the young.

Using popular hashtags like #TotalShutdown, #OccupyJKIA, and #RutoMustGo, Generation Z has scheduled protests for Thursday. Slated to be held on 8/8, the protestors are pushing hashtags like #NaneNane and #NaneNaneMarch The demonstrations, which call for accountability and sound governance, highlight the widening gap between Gen Z and the government.

In particular, young people are incensed at the reappointment of lawmakers who were fired from the Cabinet and allegations of a dubious 30-year lease at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), which was purportedly authorized without following the formalities.The young people now feel more determined than ever to push the government to the breaking point because of these growing intrigues.

The protesters presently intend to disrupt operations at JKIA by obstructing major roads, including the Expressway, Outering Road, Airport Road, and Mombasa Road. Part of their strategy is to break down barriers and stage a march into the airport in an effort to generate widespread chaos and bring awareness to their cause throughout the world.

Additionally, protesters want to seize several embassies in Kenya in order to put more pressure on the government to meet their demands.

This follows demonstrations by Kenyans residing in the US outside the IMF, who have held the organization responsible for Kenya's economic woes. They said that by giving the nation loans with strict terms, the organization has thrown off its economic goals. They also accused the president of squandering tax dollars on unending visits abroad that, in their opinion, offer no advantage to the nation.

The president reappointed past CSs because he is not paying attention to the youth. It was no mystery that Gen Z would not be pleased with the president's choice to re-appoint cabinet secretaries he had previously dismissed. Because of this, the upcoming demonstration will be furious, expressing the youth's ingrained resentment.

The president has an important role in resolving these concerns. The president bears all of the accountability. It is time for him to take action against corruption in order to streamline the system and reshape the nation.

The protesters from Generation Z have demonstrated their undying dedication by going to great lengths to force the government to give in to their demands. The Generation Zs will stop at nothing to get their demands met with the President. It will reflect badly on the nation to occupy JKIA, the arrival point for foreign visitors. Their message is very clear: they oppose corruption and ineptitude in the administration.

Condemnation should be directed toward the President for his nomination of former CSs. We offered the president an opportunity to turn things around, but he has demonstrated that he is unresponsive to our pleas. 

We will be back on the streets for we have no other option seeing as our rightfully-justified demands seem to fall on deaf ears.

We have a voice, and a powerful one at that. We know the power we wield as a majority population in a democratic state. We have seen the revolutionary potential of this Protest Movement and now there is no going back. This majority young population has effectively swallowed the proverbial Red Pill and now, the truth of our agency as the ultimate force for systematic change in Kenya cannot be undone.