Dagoretti South Member of Parliament John Kiarie has apologized to the public for the utterances he made on the anti-finance bill protestors.
Kiarie penned a heartfelt letter to Kenyans, apologizing for terming anti-finance bill protests as fake and also claiming that photos of demonstrators shared online were altered.
In a statement on June 24, Kiarie, popularly known as KJ, said he deeply regrets terming anti-finance bill protests as fake.
He further apologized for stating that the photos of demonstrators shared online were altered.
“I truly apologize for the comments I made regarding the protests and the authenticity of certain images,” he said.
“In the heat of the moment during the debate on the finance bill, my words were unnecessary, misguided and insensitive.”
MP John Kiarie Apologies to Gen Z
Kiarie said he made an apology after a reflection and also understanding the anger and frustration that exists in the country.
“Anger that stems from decades unresolved, but very pertinent and potent National issues,” he said.
“Having been a part of movements clamoring for social Justice and good governance in the pact, I acknowledge the importance of Vigilance and also popular agitation for a better Kenya.”
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He further appreciated and celebrated the courage and creativity shown by the younger generation in advocating for Change through innovative channels and platforms including social media and other emerging technologies.
“I am sincerely sorry for the provocation, hurt or affront that my words may have caused. I have definitely learnt a lot from this and also from all the active listening I have done since,” he further wrote.
MP Dismissing Protests
Kiarie during the second reading of the Finance Bill in parliament on Thursday 20, dismissed the protests as fake claiming that edited images were being spread to make the ‘fake’ protests seem legitimate.
He argued that some photos used on social media to depict the Occupy Parliament demonstrations were not from Kenya.
“The lie persists, Mr. Speaker, because some of the photos that we were seeing out of the streets, I can tell you as a graphics editor that they don’t belong to this country,” Kiarie asserted.
“I am a photo expert, and I can point out to you, photos that were edited to look like they were in the streets of Nairobi, but they were not.”
His apology came a day after President William Ruto said he was going to engage the Gen Z to discuss about their grievances.
Ruto stated that he was going to have a conversation with the youth so that together they can build a greater nation adding that his government was concerned about their grievances.
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