President William Ruto has promised to deal with demonstrators who stormed Parliament buildings, destroyed properties, and burnt a section of the premises during the anti-finance bill protests on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Speaking to the leaders of the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa on Saturday, June 29, Ruto applauded the youth for stepping up and airing their issues through peaceful protests.
“I don’t blame them; they did well by coming out to air their problems. They did so peacefully and with a plan, without considering tribal lines, which is very positive,” Ruto said.
However, the president said the government will punish the ‘criminals’ who took advantage of the protests to invade Parliament buildings, burn government offices, and loot private businesses.
“Some people mixed with them. Those who stormed and burnt Parliament are not these young people; those are criminals. We will look for them, they can’t escape. You cannot destroy government property,” he said.
President Ruto explained that destroying government property and looting cannot provide solutions to the issues raised by the youth.
“We will talk to the youth, and we have a plan for them. But we will also deal with the criminals according to the law. You can’t destroy someone’s business, destroy government property, burn Constituency Development Fund Offices; how will that help us solve the problems facing the youth?” the president posed.
He said investigations will be conducted to distinguish between the peaceful protesting youth and the criminals who hijacked the process.
“We must separate the issues our young people are raising and the criminality of those looting shops and destroying people’s property,” Ruto said.
Ruto Calls for Talks
Besides, the president said he will hold talks with all Kenyans from the coming week to discuss how to drive the country forward.
Ruto said the discussions will bring together religious leaders, youth leaders, civil societies, professional bodies, and university student leaders.
According to the president, the talks will address solving the huge debt problem, creating employment for the youth, expenditure for government officials, and the fight against corruption.
“This will allow us to solve our problems as citizens of one country, in peace and not by fighting each other. We should advise our youth; they don’t have a problem, they just don’t have an alternative,” Ruto said.
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National Multi-Sectoral Forum
Ruto’s sentiments were followed by a letter from the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei announcing the constitution of a National Multi-Sectoral Forum (NMSF) to engage with all stakeholders in addressing the concerns raised by the youth.
Koskei said the Forum will be comprised of 100 members drawn from all national-level umbrella organizations representing the youth, civil society, religious organizations, professional bodies, business community organizations, academia, student leadership, Majority and Minority leaders of parliament, the Council of Governors, and other stakeholder groups.
The matters of discussion include jobs and other opportunities, the nation’s tax policy, national debt burden, representation and accountability, anti-corruption measures, and any other agenda items deemed appropriate.
“Each umbrella body is requested to formally nominate two representatives of either gender for consideration for appointment to the National Steering Committee (NSC). The nominations should be addressed to the Executive Office of the President, Harambee House,” read the letter in part.
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Gen Z Given Deadline
Upon the establishment of the National Steering Committee of the NMSF, President Ruto will facilitate the first sitting for the sole purpose of the Committee independently identifying the leadership of the forum.
Subsequently, the forum will carry out its activities independently across all the 47 counties through a participatory, citizen-centric, and inclusive process from the ward level.
Koskei said the nominations are expected to be received by the Executive Office of the President on or before July 7, 2024.
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