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Raila urges govt to engage not dismiss protesting Gen Z

Raila urges govt to engage not dismiss protesting Gen Z
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga ata a past address. PHOTO/@RailaOdinga/X

ODM leader Raila Odinga has fired a strong message at the government over its response to recent youth-led protests, urging officials to stop dismissing Generation Z demonstrators as irrational or chaotic.

Speaking in Bomet on Saturday, July 12, 2025, during a public forum, Raila said the youth protesting across the country are not mad, but rather young citizens expressing legitimate grievances about governance, inequality, and police brutality.

“Na vijana wale wanaandamana, wale wanaitwa Gen Z, sio wendawazimu. Ni watoto wetu,” he said, loosely translating to: “Those young people who are protesting, the ones being called Gen Z, are not crazy. They are our children.”

Odinga called for an immediate, inclusive national dialogue that brings young people to the table.

“Tuzungumze na wao kwa sababu mimi nimependekeza… kila kaunti ilete vijana ishirini,” he added “Let’s talk to them because I’ve proposed that each county should bring twenty youth.”

Raila proposed a structured national convention beginning next month that includes a diverse delegation from each of Kenya’s 47 counties, 20 youth and 20 representatives from other groups, such as women, the elderly, the disabled, civil society and clergy.

“Let this be 50 per cent youth and 50 per cent other citizens, elders, people living with disabilities, civil society, women so that we can have a full national conversation,” he said.

Gen Z protesters in central Nairobi on June 25, 2025, as they took to the streets to mark the anniversary of last year’s demos. PHOTO/Bernard Malonza
Protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Nairobi. PHOTO/@bernalosh/X

His remarks come after weeks of demonstrations across the country, including the June 17 protest over the killing of Albert Ojwang in Homa Bay, the June 25 March to honour protesters who died, and the most recent Saba Saba protests on July 7.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) confirmed on Friday that 38 people were killed and at least 130 injured during the Saba Saba demonstrations alone.

Raila warned that ignoring the frustrations of young people would only fuel national unrest ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Tusiende uchaguzi wa 2027 na hasira mingi,” he said “Let’s not go into the 2027 elections with too much anger.”

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