Youth have been forthright in demonstrating their increasing displeasure with President William Ruto’s government. Several months ago, the Generation Z protests almost brought the country to a standstill. By the time law and order was restored, nearly 60 protesters had been killed by police, several hundred seriously injured and property destroyed.
Indeed, the current calm may just be the proverbial lull before the storm. This is why the leadership must seek to implement programmes to improve the welfare of youth, who are the worst hit by the acute unemployment rate gripping the country.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), which is a government agency, has found that youth do not trust President Ruto and other politicians. This is a call to the leaders from the grassroots to the national level to wake up and smell the coffee. The country is reeling under a high cost of living, with many families unable to cater for basic needs.
The recent NCIC study has established that youth no longer trust the government due to the runaway corruption, broken promises and poor service delivery. Chairperson Samuel Kobia says the young people are caught up in a struggle with a government suffering a crisis of confidence engendered by corruption, inefficiency and unfulfilled promises.
He is, therefore, appealing to the media through the Editors’ Guild, to use their platforms to facilitate dialogue to narrow the trust gap between the GenZs and the older generations.
Thanks to the GenZ protests, President Ruto dropped the controversial Finance Bill 2024 that contained “punitive and oppressive” taxes. The decision confirmed youth as a significant force for change.
Young people are sceptical about the government’s commitment to change, accusing it of carrying out extrajudicial killings, abductions and arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters exercising their constitutional right to air their grievances.
The needs and concerns of youth, who form 35 per cent of the population, cannot just be ignored.
