A big showdown is looming between President Ruto and the Gen Z protestors who nearly sent him packing two weeks ago after two parallel social media engagements were planned to run at the same time.
President Ruto set an engagement with the youths who are now leading anti-government demonstrations and protests, but the Gen Z instead vowed to massively boycott it and instead host their own at the same time. The two events are running between 2:00Pm and 5:00pm East African Time.
Immediately the President announced that he would be engaging Kenyans on the X Space as demanded by the youth, thousands of dissenters opposed the initiative saying they wanted the President to join their own X Space under their terms.
They said the President was falling in the same trap as the one he fell when he met a few religious leaders and announced the formation of a multisectoral forum where Gen Z were asked to send two representatives. They immediately denounced the forum and said they would not be joining and instead asked the President to meet them on X Space.
However, they now say the President should have been waited to be invited to the X Space by Gen Z and that he was going about the wrong way. They also said they were aware that the State planned to invite “compliant” youths to neutralize their arguments and kill their ideas with an aim to reduce the momentum of their movement for change and reforms.
Billed as the biggest political rally to be held in Kenya, Kenyans are now waiting with bated breath to see how the showdown will unfold as each side continue to mobilise their supporters as the clock ticks to the appointed hour.
While President Ruto will host one engagement on his X handle, the Gen Z are using the X handle of one of the greatest critics of Ruto who – now long dead Jacob Juma, something that has added to the intrigue of the looming showdown.
Now considered the official opposition, Gen Z continue to stamp their authority and demand for reforms, transparency and accountability in government that has been plagued by open show of opulence while basic services are grinding to a halt.
