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Reactions to President William Ruto’s announcement of his second batch of cabinet nominees have been mixed.
Ruto announced 10 more cabinet nominees on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cabinet candidates to 20 since the first batch was announced on June 19.
The latest list includes allies of Azimio party leader Raila Odinga, as well as Ruto’s close associate and former transport and roads minister Kipchumba Murkomen.
Ruto pulled John Mbadi out of Raila’s camp and handed him the almighty National Treasury file and named former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya as the CS candidate for the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSME Development.
Hassan Joho, the former Mombasa governor and fierce critic of Ruto, was appointed minister of mines and blue economy.
With Raila and his key allies now on the government’s side, former Makueni governor Kivuta Kibwana claimed that Generation Z and millennials were now the unofficial opposition.
Faced with brutal police repression, this group of young Kenyans, through relentless street protests, has sparked radical changes in the government and demanded accountability and improved governance.
Gen Z had long believed that Raila, a democratic revolutionary, was on their side and would fight for change. Only recently did they discover that Raila would work with Ruto, whom Gen Z is calling for to resign.
Kibwana believes that Raila’s position as opposition leader and father figure has shifted to the youth, who must now assume the opposition role that he has played for decades.
“Raila, you are no longer dad. The Gen Z-Millennial movement is now the official opposition,” Kibwana said.
The former governor suggested that Raila’s involvement in Kenya’s Kwanza government was a betrayal of the country’s youth, some of whom have died on the front lines of protests against the government he now supports.
“You have now shaken hands for the fourth time – Moi, Kibaki, Uhuru and Ruto. You have always hidden in plain sight. May the blood and tears of the young people follow you throughout your lives,” he said.
On July 9, soon after the President assented to the IEBC amendment bill, President Ruto and Raila agreed to hold a six-day multi-sector forum on the steps of KICC.
His open flirtation with the Ruto regime immediately sparked the wrath of Generation Z and his allies in Azimio, with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka saying they supported Generation Z and would not engage in any dialogue.
Gen Z has declined invitations to attend the National Multi-Sector Forum (NMSF) and has been disdainful of leaders who advocate dialogue.
These people say the government does not need dialogue to audit the national debt, send interns, take responsibility for dead protesters or stop corruption.
“We want action, so let’s act!” they said as they staged a series of protests.
“When it comes to the Gen Z revolution, the government seems to lack an understanding of the public mood. Gen Z doesn’t want dialogue. They want action, and Wiper agrees,” Kalonzo said on June 10.
Until recently, Raila appeared to have withdrawn from the National Unity Government agreement, saying he had heard the wishes of Generation Z and put forward his demands before engaging with the government.
First, Raila said that instead of dialogue, a national conference should be held to discuss issues including compensation for victims of police violence, the dropping of all cases related to the protests, and the release of all abductees and prisoners.
“Once these issues are resolved, we can focus on the national dialogue and conduct it transparently in a neutral forum,” Raila said in a statement on Sunday.
On Wednesday, shortly before the announcement of his second batch of Cabinet nominees, Ruto made a final offer, ordering security agencies to release all those wrongfully arrested during anti-government protests and drop all cases against them.
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