Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo has stated that the government learned from the Gen Z protests that erupted in June 2024.

In an interview on Wednesday, December 18, Dr. Omollo said the government started the year with high expectations, but many events shaped the politics and governance of the country.

He explained that the state learned many lessons from the protests, which were largely spearheaded by Gen Z.

“Out of the protests, a number of things happened, and we can attribute some of the changes, even in policing, to those protests,” he said.

He added that the government is investing more in technology since the protests were mobilized on social media.

“There was a lot of use of technology, and people were being mobilized using social media. One of the biggest takeaways is that we must invest in technology. We are investing in capacitating the officers,” Omollo said.

Recruiting Graduates into the Police Service

Additionally, the PS who is passionate about young people mentioned that the Gen Z protests highlighted issues raised in the report of the National Taskforce on Police Reforms, which was led by former Chief Justice David Maraga.

According to the PS, the Taskforce recommended that the government invest more in building capacity, especially at the point of recruiting police officers.

This, he said, will ensure that not all police officers start at the same level during recruitment.

He said the changes will allow the government to absorb graduates into the National Police Service (NPS) to provide solutions in such situations.

“We now have provisions to recruit even graduate officers. This will go a long way in helping us deal with situations like these, but also just to stay abreast of emerging changes in technology,” he said.

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Engagements Sessions with Kenyans

Omollo said the government had a fair share of learning in managing such protests because it was definitely an unprecedented occurrence.

He emphasized that the government has held engagement sessions with the people to try and understand their concerns.

“We’ve had a series of engagements, starting with the president himself engaging the youth of this country, listening to them, and trying to understand their concerns.

To a large extent, that has been responded to or dealt with, particularly in addressing the challenge of unemployment,” he stated.

PS Raymond Omollo Highlights Unresolved Issues

However, he mentioned that there are still unresolved issues raised during the protests, particularly around unemployment and underemployment.

Omollo clarified that some of the government programs, like the Affordable Housing Programme, are meant to address issues like unemployment, which require much more intervention.

“This cannot purely be left to the government. We must be able to bring everybody on board, particularly the private sector,” he said.

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Social Media Feedback

Further, Omollo said the government picks feedback from Kenyans on social media and uses it to improve government operations and communication.

“The feedback we receive from citizens, especially through social media, is very helpful. It helps us improve government services and better communicate with the public,” he said.

Dealing with Cybersecurity

He appreciated the use of technology to raise issues and improve living standards.

However, he warned that the government will collaborate with the private sector to deal with individuals using such opportunities to breach security.

“We appreciate the role of technology in making our lives better, though it also allows people to breach security,” Omollo said.

“We are working closely with the private sector to deal with breaches and to build capacity among officers, both uniformed and non-uniformed, to better fight threats in cybersecurity.”

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