Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka yesterday continued to endear himself to the youth with his talks directly appearing to endorse calls by Gen Z for an overhaul of the governance system in the country.

Musyoka appeared to seize every opportunity presented to him by the ongoing youth movement viewed as an anti-government revolt to garner support for his presidential ambition.

Recently, he alleged that Kenya could be headed to a snap election like Britain since the majority of Kenyans who are youth have expressed their mistrust of the current government and elected leaders.

The agitations expressed by the youth against President William Ruto’s administration are low-hanging fruits for the Wiper Party leader to embark on an early campaign as he aligns his political ambition with the youth.

Voting patterns might change in the coming election, with Musyoka urging the youth to register in their numbers as voters so that they can make their voices heard should a snap election ensue.

He maintained that Kenyans are not ready for any dialogue until those who were killed during the Gen Z protests get justice from the government and killer security officers captured firing live bullets at peaceful demonstrators are brought to book.

Changed governance

“What a moment to be in Kenya to begin experiencing Generation Z led a peaceful revolution, which has forever changed this country’s governance and nobody should be afraid of it,” Musyoka told delegates during his address at the Pan-African Youth Convention at Kenya School of Government

He laughed off the bromance between Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga and President Ruto which was interpreted as the making of a government national unity saying that he is better placed in the opposition.

“The country is not ready for government national unity. Such an arrangement can only happen after an election not now when the current government has been in power for only two years,” he said.

Musyoka warned the youth against being enticed to vote for irresponsible leaders who embark on tokenism and vote bribery to get into power. “The practice in Kenya has been that people heading the parastatal organisations steal huge sums of money and when election time comes they go and bribe everybody. In fact, Gen Z, I want to invite you to look at the next election with a different perspective. You should not Kenyans to be made to look so helpless by leaders telling them at the end of a campaign rally to line up then distribute 100 shilling notes to them,” Musyoka said.

In the wake of the youthful uprising in the country, he pushed for improved civic education for the youth to foster the understanding of democratic principles, human rights and the importance of active citizenship. “We can also increase the number of leadership development programs available to the youth that will enhance their leadership skills, that will also improve their critical thinking abilities and problem-solving capacities and empower them to assume leadership roles in governance,” he added.

He urged the youth to shun the know-it-all all mentality advising them that they must connect with experienced mentors to facilitate intergenerational dialogue that will enable knowledge transfer and foster youth engagement. “I hope JNC will take that kindly. Yes, you also need a bit of mentoring. Nobody in the world has a monopoly of knowledge. You come armed with a lot of energy and commitment, but you may need some of us to be able to sit and say, wait a minute, I think you can moderate this approach or that approach,” he explained.

He called on the youth to consider exploring constitutional amendment for issues that they are pushing the government to address instead of the dialogue that numerous quarters have called for.

Denied opportunities

“I posit that there’s nothing wrong with having dialogue, but Kenyans are saying we have had so many of these. We had the Building Bridges Initiative in this country, which had proposed constitutional amendments. Maybe Kenyans themselves and Gen Z can come up with an approach that will bring about a constitutional amendment to anchor some of these wonderful votes that Kenyans are not willing at the moment to do,” Musyoka noted.

Further Musyoka observed that political parties have denied the youth an opportunity to play an active role in their formation and running prompting them to feel voiceless politically.

“If the political elite can truly take the youth seriously, you must quickly provide places for them at the table. If you don’t provide, they’ll demand, and they’ll take it. Our youth need to have an impact on party policy formulation and leadership selection, because they may provide a new perspective on potentially outdated policies and ideas,” he said

He said that Gen Z’s protests have slowly turned Kenya into an inclusive democracy that guarantees every person, regardless of their background, a voice in national decision-making processes.

“As part of a series of substantial concessions, Kenya’s youth, grabbed literally their sovereign power and authority, as outlined in the Constitution. The 204 Members of Parliament who voted yes did not represent the views of their voters because their hands had been greased with corruption money and are now finding it extremely difficult to go to their constituencies,” he said.