The opposition has pushed back against claims by the government that it orchestrated Wednesday’s deadly Gen Z demonstrations as part of a plot to overthrow the administration.
In a strongly worded rebuttal, opposition-aligned MPs dismissed the ‘desperate’ attempt by the government to use former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as ‘a scapegoat.’
Instead, they urged the government to reconnect with the disillusioned youth, who took to the streets to protest over extrajudicial killings, kidnappings and unfulfilled promises.
“There are many things this government has done that have angered the people. There is a serious disconnect between the government and the people and no effort is being made to bridge that gap,” Makueni MP Dan Maanzo said.
On Thursday, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen and government-allied MPs – led by National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah and minority whip Junet Mohamed – claimed the demonstrations were intended to topple the government.
“The plan was to take symbols of authority and democracy – namely, Parliament and State House – to show that some sort of regime change had been achieved,” Murkomen said.
During the heated parliamentary session, Junet named Maanzo and MPs Benjamin Mwangi (Embakasi Central) and James Gakuya (Embakasi North), alleging they had ferried youths into Nairobi for the protests.
“What happened in our country yesterday was not a normal demonstration. It was not a Gen Z demonstration,” Junet, a close ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga, said in Parliament.
However, Junet was forced to retract his remarks after Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, responding to a protest by deputy minority leader Robert Mbui, ruled him out of order for naming fellow lawmakers without a substantive motion.
Mwangi and Gakuya were unreachable to comment on the allegations.
Maanzo, a close ally of Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, vehemently denied the accusations, calling them baseless and a desperate attempt by the government to deflect blame.
“I did not mobilise any youths. That is not the kind of politics I engage in. No Kamba youth was brought to demonstrate in Nairobi,” he said.
He also dismissed allegations of an attempted coup, stating that it would be implausible for the opposition to fund or coordinate protests that spanned more than 25 counties.
“This was not a coup. The Constitution of Kenya cannot be overthrown by anyone, including Gen Z. What Gen Z can do is get IDs, register as voters and remove this government in 2027,” Maanzo said.
He attributed the widespread unrest to abductions, killings, rampant corruption, unfulfilled promises and other excesses by the government that have fuelled public anger.
Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia also rejected the government's narrative, calling it dishonest to blame a single individual for demonstrations that occurred across the country.
“Gachagua could not have been everywhere to mobilise the youth. This House must recognise what happened on Wednesday as a ticking time bomb. There is a clear disconnect between Gen Z and national leadership,” she said.
“We cannot pretend we don’t understand the root causes. Unemployment, abductions and the continued killings of young people are the issues Gen Z is reacting to. That’s why they came out.”
The deputy minority leader echoed similar views, stressing that the demonstrations were spontaneous and not orchestrated by any political figure.
“There’s an effort to malign certain individuals over Wednesday’s events, but these demonstrations were organic and occurred across the country,” Mbui said.
Kitutu Chache MP Antony Kibagendi added: “Gachagua is too small a player to have orchestrated this. Did he organise protests in Mombasa, Kisii, or Kericho? If you think he did, then arrest him – but follow the law.”
Kibagendi accused the government of ignoring legitimate concerns raised by the youth and urged leaders to stop deflecting blame.
“We must stop trivialising the concerns of young people by blaming Gachagua. Kenyans demonstrated across the country. It’s irresponsible to shift focus from the real issues,” he said.
“We need to address the grievances raised by the youth instead of making this about what Gachagua did or didn’t do.”
