Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on President William Ruto to exercise restraint and address the root causes of the ongoing protests sweeping across the country.
Speaking at a press conference held shortly after Ruto commented on the recent demonstrations, Gachagua cautioned that anger would not resolve the mounting discontent among the Kenyan people.
"Mr Ruto, I want with a lot of humility to advise you to stop being angry. That will not help you," Gachagua said.
"You need to know what you need to do. The people of Kenya are more angry than you are."
Earlier, during the launch of an affordable housing project in Kilimani, Nairobi, Ruto expressed bewilderment at the heightened aggression and confrontational stance adopted by opposition leaders against his administration.
He questioned why his government was facing more hostility compared to his predecessors, and lamented the personal disdain and arrogance directed at him.
Gachagua attributed the public outrage to several pressing issues.
He accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of burdening citizens with excessive taxes, particularly citing the controversial Housing Levy.
Gachagua further pointed to rampant corruption, abductions, extrajudicial killings, and ethnic profiling as sources of widespread anger.
He urged the government to restore the middle class, arguing that empowering this segment would generate employment for the youth
"If you want to be calm, please abolish the Housing Levy and give dignity to the pay slips, restore the capacity of the middle class. The middle class will provide jobs to these young people," he stated.
The former Deputy President reminded Ruto of his campaign promises to create jobs for ordinary Kenyans, popularly known as "hustlers," and insisted that the President should deliver on these pledges rather than deflect responsibility.
"Give hustlers the jobs you promised them. You are the one who promised. You cannot say that other presidents also did not do it. Do not cry today that you have no solution."
Gachagua contrasted Ruto's leadership with that of former
Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, noting that their adherence to the
Constitution and the rule of law helped them avoid similar levels of
resistance.
"They did not capture institutions to work for them. Kibaki also faced resistance, and it is on record that you gave Uhuru hell for five years."
