On Thursday, President William Ruto expressed his strong confidence in the eventual cessation of opposition-led protests concerning the cost of living and the allocation of government positions. He likened these protests to the fate of the ‘crushed’ Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a proposal he vehemently contested.
President Ruto, in response to concerns raised by Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, regarding an unsuccessful mediation attempt by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, avoided addressing those specific issues. However, he asserted his willingness to engage in negotiations on all other matters except for compromising the security of the nation and its citizens.
“We must all agree on this one thing: Making our nation secure. We cannot negotiate on that. Everything else, we can negotiate; political affiliations and preferences and all these other things, but not security. And you know, I told you then that God will help us to stop reggae (BBI), and it stopped. I have also said we will stop these demonstrations, and they have. We cannot continue with such destruction of property and loss of lives,” he said in Lamu on Thursday.
President Ruto delivered a strong warning on Thursday, cautioning “goons” and other individuals who he believed were using the protests as a shield to assault the police.
He emphasized that attacking the security forces is equivalent to attacking the Republic of Kenya and its Constitution. President Ruto further asserted that any such actions would be met with the full weight of the law.
Notably, President Ruto revealed that the recent protests had resulted in over 300 police officers being hospitalized in various medical facilities across the country, as they are nursing severe injuries sustained during these incidents.
President Ruto expressed gratitude to the Lamu people for refraining from participating in the protests and instead, directing their efforts towards nation-building and maintaining peace.
Regarding the issue of devolution, President Ruto reaffirmed his dedication to empowering counties fully. He announced that he will release Sh32 billion to support all the 47 counties.
However, the President also issued a cautionary message to governors, advising them against using these funds to organize demonstrations (maandamano).
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