Don’t blame Gachagua over demos and fix the country, opposition tells Ruto

The opposition has dismissed allegations that it orchestrated Wednesday’s deadly Gen Z demonstrations, insisting the protests were a spontaneous reaction to government failures, not a political plot to overthrow the administration.

They also faulted the government for blaming former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, calling the move a diversion from the real issues confronting the country.

Addressing the Senate on Thursday, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo led a group of opposition-aligned leaders in condemning the accusations, saying the government was desperate to shift responsibility for the public outrage that triggered nationwide protests over killings, kidnappings and broken 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,” Maanzo stated.

Their remarks followed statements from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and government allies, including National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Minority Whip Junet Mohamed, who alleged that the protests were intended to achieve regime change.

“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.

In the same session, Junet named Maanzo alongside Benjamin Mwangi (Embakasi Central) and James Gakuya (Embakasi North), accusing them of transporting youths into the capital to take part in the protests.

“What happened in our country yesterday was not a normal demonstration. It was not a Gen Z demonstration,” said Junet, a close ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga.

However, Speaker Moses Wetang’ula ruled Junet out of order after Deputy Minority Leader Robert Mbui protested, citing House rules that prohibit naming fellow MPs without a formal motion. Junet was forced to retract his remarks.

Maanzo strongly denied the accusations, terming them baseless and politically motivated. “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 added that the narrative of an attempted coup was not only false but impractical, especially given the scale of the protests, which spanned over 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,” the Senator said.

Maanzo said the root cause of the demonstrations lay in rising public anger over abductions, extrajudicial killings, corruption and government excesses.

His views were echoed by Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, who rejected the claim that Gachagua was behind the protests. She said blaming one individual was dishonest, considering the protests happened 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,” Muhia said.

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“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.”

Deputy Minority Leader Mbui also maintained that the protests were not planned by politicians, but were rather driven by deep-seated frustrations among young people.