UDA national youth leader Kariuki Ngunjiri has urged all Kenyans to be involved in turning around the fortunes of the country after days of deadly anti-government protests.
Ngunjiri said the protests experienced, however brutal and savage they were, must be seen as an opportunity to retreat, reflect, recharge and re-strategise the country’s plans.
“After days of protests, it is time for everyone to agree that the desire is to make Kenya better. This is not a time to lay blame, but a moment for all of us to do their part,” he stated.
He maintained that the government and the citizenry must now have a turnaround, rethink and forge a way forward on the development and creation of opportunities without leaving anyone behind.
Ngunjiri noted that in 1940, in the midst of a serious crisis when a lot of people had given up, Winston Churchill came into office as British Prime Minister, at a time when the country was disunited but brought the people together and won the war against the Axis powers.
He said President William Ruto also came into power at a time of a serious crisis, disunity and economic downturn.
“The people of Kenya and especially the youth, must allow the President space. He came in in times of dire crisis, and to make the changes all are calling for, the country must rally behind him,” he stated.
Major urban areas across have returned to an uneasy calm after days of protests over proposed tax increases and high cost of living during which dozens of people were reportedly killed.
The protests made international headlines as thousands of Gen Z and millennial demonstrators took to the streets demanding the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024.
The protests pressured the government to drop the tax plans.
The government has blamed the country's economic challenges on foreign loans stating that it is using more than half of the revenue it collects to repay the debts.
