Youth don’t swallow political baloney
The unity, power, resolve, self-awareness, political and economic consciousness of the next biggest bloc of voters is what is frightening the Ruto political cabal that thrives on deceit, mocks the poor with ill-gotten wealth, rewards incompetence, rationalises corruption and ridicules divergent thought and a good education.
It is clear that Gen Z will not be available for bribes from the washy-washy politicians who have found comfortable shelter at the feet of this presidency.
They don’t swallow political baloney. They fact-check claims and their decisions are driven by data, science and facts and truth.
But Kenyans must be alarmed that the deaths of several protesters were an assault on the Constitution that the President swore to uphold, defend and protect. The state killings projected disdain for the people. They also raise questions about the judgment and temperament of the man entrusted with the country’s instruments of aggression.
But it is no surprise, given the President’s political history. Ruto opposed the 2010 Constitution and seemingly detests the whole idea that it puts him on a tight leash and addresses him as a servant, not a demi-lord, of the people.
Gen Z are the embodiment of the optimism cast in the preamble of the Constitution which declares that as Kenyans, we are proud of our ethnic, cultural and religious diversity.
Article 1 of the Constitution is a beautiful bulwark. It states that all sovereign power belongs to the people and they may exercise their sovereign power directly or through their democratically elected representatives. The young people decided to “occupy” Parliament under the frustration that theese representatives were no longer serving their interests.
Ruto responded to the raid with his usual cockiness and fiat. The presidency yesterday conceded to Gen Z demands and shed crocodile tears. This was too little and came too late. Did the youngster have to die for Ruto to beat a retreat? For the families who lost their ch ildren, we can only tell them that night is interminable but dawn will soon break. And for their parents, we refer them to a stanza by Kenyan poet Jonathan Kariara:
“If you should take my child Lord
Give my hands strength to dig his grave
cover him with earth
Lord send a little rain
For grass will grow.”
