Former deputy presidential candidate Justina Wamae has poured cold water on new calls for an inter-generational national dialogue, saying Kenyan youth need tangible economic opportunities, not endless discussions.
Wamae’s sharp remarks come in the wake of growing calls—most notably from former Prime Minister Raila Odinga—for a national conversation to address the mounting grievances of Kenya’s youth.
Raila, speaking during the 35th Saba Saba anniversary at the Serena Hotel on Monday, proposed an “Intergenerational National Conclave” to gather voices from across the country and chart a binding reform agenda.
But Wamae was unimpressed.
“Kenyans do not eat National Dialogue. They need legal money-making opportunities,” she said in a statement.
She said elected and appointed leaders were living large on public funds while failing to deliver policies that can solve the country’s economic crisis.
“The best thing you can do is get your brains working and give the country the much-needed solution. Asking Kenyans to give you solutions as you eat their taxes in form of salaries and allowances is borderline disdain,” she said.
“Or is it safe to say all of you in Parliament, Executive—including the Experts who joined the broad-based government—were not the right people for the job?” she posed rhetorically.
Wamae’s comments reflect growing frustration across the country, particularly among the youth who have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest high taxes, corruption, unemployment, and increasing incidents of police brutality.
The protests, led largely by Gen Z demonstrators, have rocked major cities and triggered a national reckoning on governance, accountability, and justice.
In his address, Raila positioned the proposed conclave as a path to meaningful change.
“Kenyans are yearning for leadership and programmes that advance economic fairness, social justice, and political freedom,” he said.
“I propose an inclusive intergenerational national conclave to hear our people across all divides and come up with irreducible reforms and changes necessary to take the country forward.”
