Gen Zs plan parallel X Space with Ruto and his cabinet

President William Ruto is set to host his first-ever X Space conversation with Kenyans today, starting at 2 pm. This event is primarily aimed at engaging Gen Zs, who recently led countrywide protests against the Finance Bill 2024.

Following the protests, President Ruto declined to sign the Bill passed by Parliament.

Cabinet Secretaries are also set to join President Ruto's X Space as a commitment to engage directly with the public.

On Thursday, President Ruto announced that he would be engaging the youth on X Space from 2 pm to 5 pm. "All Kenyans are welcome to contribute to this dialogue as part of our collective effort to foster national renewal and create a better Kenya for all," stated a communication from the Cabinet Office, Executive Office of the President.

“Kesho, kesho, kesho...... I know it has the potential to get messy, but you can prove to the world that you're capable of a sober interaction..... ask any question..... ask the hard, important ones because you must get your answers..... cover every area, don't leave anything out.... make your demands known.... and make sure that you get measurable assurances with timeliness on delivery..... make tomorrow one to remember...... by the way, it's perfectly OK to not like the man at all, but let's try to respect The Office..... because one day, one of you will sit in it,” Media personality Maina Kageni shared on X.

Kesho, kesho, kesho...... I know it has the potential to get messy, but you can prove to the world that you're capable of a sober interaction..... ask any question..... ask the hard, important ones because its absolutely necessary that you get your answers..... cover every area,… pic.twitter.com/gkx93W1gr1

— Maina Kageni (@ItsMainaKageni) July 4, 2024

However, it has now emerged the youths are planning a parallel discussion on the same platform, potentially creating a counter-narrative to the President’s conversation. City lawyer Paul Mwangi commented on this situation, writing: "How times have changed! The President has called a rally on X Spaces today at 2:00-5:00 pm. Gen Z has called a parallel rally at the same time, at the same venue. They don't need a permit nor do they need to notify the OCS. In fact, there is nothing the government can do about it. They can only shut down the internet. But then, the President will not have his rally either."

We shall not allow to be owned. We shall be having a parallel space during this time. https://t.co/wanWgz0l7M pic.twitter.com/Vgfpqdccu4

— Kimuzi (@Kimuzi_) July 4, 2024

Kenyan youth have been actively using X Spaces to issue demands to the President, including calls for the dismissal of his entire cabinet. The initial protests against the Finance Bill 2024 saw thousands of young Kenyans taking to the streets over the past two weeks.

In a televised joint media interview on Sunday, President Ruto expressed his readiness to engage with the youth on a platform of their choice.

"I am hearing that the young people are saying we don’t want a multisectoral forum, maybe we should have an engagement with the President on X. I am open to having an engagement with the young people on a forum they are comfortable with. If they want me to engage with them on X, I will be there. I want us to discuss taxation, I want us to discuss unemployment, corruption, all issues,” he said.