Wiper party leader and Azimio principal Kalonzo Musyoka has alleged President William Ruto’s administration is hatching a plan to use National Youth Service personnel to suppress Kenyans’ constitutional right to picket.
Kalonzo, who spoke in Mombasa yesterday, said Ruto’s recent declaration that youths joining the service be equipped with basic handling of firearms was akin to “creating another military force purposefully to intimidate and silence Kenyans”.
In the wake of recent Generation Z protests that piled pressure on the government regarding corruption and bad governance, he said, “Ruto was scared and he is now mooting plans to use the NYS to ensure that such will not happen again”.
“To ensure that there will be no nationwide protests… now he wants to arm the young men and women in the NYS. This is clear because they have announced it openly,” he said.
“This we shall not accept.The idea of the National Youth Service was not to create another military force but a service to help in building the nation while at the same time sharpening their vocational skills and knowledge to serve the country.”
The families of Kenyans who died at the hands of a brutal police force during the youth-led protests, he said, had been given a cold shoulder by the government.
“Parents of the young Kenyans have been left with more questions than answers. There is one woman who became hypertensive after losing her child and used the first salary of the child to purchase a coffin,” Kalonzo said.
“Imagine such a parent … how will she live? And this is happening in our very own Kenya. It is imperative that we continue standing our ground to ensure that Kenya remains a democratic country, not a country to be ruled by force.”
State House race The Wiper leader, who has announced his interest in unseating Ruto in 2027, declared that the race to State House had started. Noting that President Ruto was using the presidency to campaign for 2027, Kalonzo said he will not give him room to “gain momentum alone”.
“We know the President is busy campaigning, that is without doubt. Everything that he is doing and is planning to do is all about 2027 and we will not allow him to run alone,” he said.
“We are saying hashtag Kenyans are not stupid,” he noted, telling the President to brace for a showdown like no other. Azimio, he said, remains a force to reckon with, noting that Ruto’s popularity is quickly fading as “a majority of Kenyans are on our side”.
On Friday, Kalonzo said 23 political parties in the Azimio la Umoja Kenya One coalition had selected him to lead the Opposition against President Ruto’s administration. Speaking at Moi International Airport when he arrived in Mombasa, he said Azimio will not afford to have a leadership void as ODM leader Raila Odinga quits local politics to campaign for the Africa Union Commission chairmanship. Kalonzo reiterated that he will take on the leadership mantle from Raila.
He said he fully backs Raila’s bid for the AUC chairperson. Meanwhile, yesterday other leaders accompanying the Wiper leader, including DAP-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa and Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni, said a new university funding model was bound to increase poverty levels in Kenya.
