Okoa Uchumi slams Ruto’s apology, demands justice for violence, graft, economic injustice

Civil society group Okoa Uchumi has slammed President William Ruto for offering what it termed a vague and conditional apology to the youth, accusing him of evading accountability over state violence, economic injustice, and corruption.

Speaking during the national prayer breakfast at the Safari Park Hotel on Wednesday, the President emphasised the importance of unity, stating, “Where there is unity, God commands a blessing.”

“To our children, if there has been any misstep, we apologise,” the President told the country’s young people, popularly known as Gen Z, who have been a thorn in the flesh of his administration.

But in a statement on Thursday, Okoa Uchumi said Ruto’s remarks amounted to a performative gesture that failed to acknowledge the government’s role in the deaths of over 60 young people, the enforced disappearances of nearly 90 citizens and the growing crackdown on critics, journalists and civil society.

Conditional apologies

The group rejected what it described as the “weaponisation of conditional apologies,” insisting that Kenyans are not grieving based on speculation but from verifiable harm, loss and pain.

“Kenya is not grieving in speculation. We are grieving that over 60 youth have been shot dead, another approximately 89 citizens abducted and disappeared, journalists and critics surveilled and threatened, neighbours’ sovereignty trampled on in cross-border impunity, budgets looted, priorities distorted and lives stolen,” Okoa Uchumi said.

The group dismissed the apology as non-committal, as it offered no admission of wrongdoing nor any clear commitment to justice or corrective action.

“This statement did not acknowledge the government’s actions. Instead, the apology was well-framed in broad, non-committal terms without reference to concrete issues or a clear commitment to corrective action,” the group said.

“There is no ‘if’—pretend to provide redress conditionally when the evidence is written in the wounds of a nation. It is unacceptable.”

The group also condemned the government’s perceived failure to defend Kenyan citizens subjected to torture and inhuman treatment in neighbouring countries.

Cross-border harassment

They took issue with President Ruto’s decision, as the chair of the East African Community, to swiftly apologise to Tanzania without first demanding accountability for the reported abuse of Kenyans across the border.

“In a self-preserving move, the President of Kenya and the chair of the East African Community rushed to offer an apology to Tanzania without demanding accountability. It’s pretentious to believe the same mouth that denied accountability can now deliver justice to grieving Kenyans,” Okoa Uchumi said.

Citing Articles 1, 10 and 43 of the Constitution as well as Chapter Six, the organisation reminded the state that sovereignty belongs to the people and that governance must be rooted in transparency, accountability, integrity, and respect for human dignity.

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• Okoa Uchumi
• economic injustice
• Okoa Uchumi slams Ruto’s apology
• demands justice for violence

“These provisions are not aspirations; they are the law, which is equal to a creed in a religious setting. Therefore, a breach is a betrayal and must be met with serious actions of accountability and responsibility,” the group warned.

The campaign questioned the absence of justice for victims of police brutality and extrajudicial killings during peaceful protests. It further called out the government’s silence on the whereabouts of abducted Kenyans, even as families continue to wait for answers.

Enforced disappearances and abductions

“When will justice begin for the youth murdered during peaceful protests while rogue police officers continue to walk free, even as graves remain unmarked and questions unanswered? Where is the inquiry into enforced disappearances and abductions?”

Okoa Uchumi also took aim at the 2025/2026 budget, which it described as a betrayal of public trust and intergenerational equity.

The lobby group argued that the budget was not designed with the needs of ordinary citizens in mind, but instead privileged elite interests while slashing funding for crucial social services.

“This year’s budget is not a people’s budget. It cuts funding for our children but balloons spending for the presidency,” read the statement.

The group decried that the budget has slashed allocations to education, child services, contraceptives and public health, while increasing funding for security, surveillance, and bureaucratic comfort.

They said this has left the elderly and vulnerable populations behind, while escalating the national debt and squeezing out payments for local suppliers.

“Clearly, we do not have a revenue problem, but an expenditure problem. It offends our elderly and vulnerable, while feeding a bloated bureaucracy,” they said.

Pending bills

They raised concerns over the Sh706 billion in pending bills and debt repayments that have ballooned to over Sh1.9 trillion, warning that Kenya is already in default.

“Do we still need to discuss debt restructuring and default despite the government clearly lacking the ability to pay local suppliers, pensioners, and essential services? We are already in debt default. Isn’t this what the basics of insolvency are?” they posed.

The group also expressed disdain for what they called hollow, symbolic events like the national prayer breakfast.

“We are tired of apologies served at prayer breakfasts; we do not swallow them. We are ashamed of expensive ceremonies that produce no justice, and ultimately, we are fed up with leaders fluent in the language of faith but deaf to the cries of the people,” the group added.

Extrajudicial killings

They called on the government to take specific action to protect Kenyans in neighbouring countries, investigate and redress extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, conduct transparent audits of public debt, and prosecute grand corruption cases in infrastructure, housing, health and land.

They also demanded the full restoration of funding for health, education, child protection and social services, and the implementation of Chapter Six and Article 10 of the Constitution, beginning with public vetting and lifestyle audits for all officeholders.

The group emphasised that its demands are rooted in the law and patriotism.

“This campaign is not against Kenya. It is for Kenya, a Kenya where leadership is accountable, budgets serve people, and justice is not mumbled in prayers but written into policy, practice, and public life,” it said.