By Collins Wanzallah
An organisation, primarily composed of youths from 54 different groups, has called for a nationwide protest today (Tuesday) as the country marks Katiba Day.
The National Provisional Coordination Committee of People’s Assemblies (NCCPA), led by their spokesperson Kasmuel McOure, announced the protest during a press briefing at Chester House, Nairobi, yesterday. The protest is in response to what they claim is President William Ruto’s failure to respect the constitution.
They stated that the constitution, which was promulgated in 2010 and is celebrating its 14th anniversary today, has not been respected by the President and some other political leaders, who they allege have been brought into the government.
Alongside their other leaders, Prof. Fred Ogolla and Booker Ngesa Omole, who is the Deputy National Chairman of the Communist Party of Kenya, they asserted that the constitution, which symbolises Kenya’s collective struggle for justice, democracy, and freedom, is under a vicious assault by the President.
“Under President William Ruto’s regime, the country has been plunged into darkness. Over 345 innocent people have been brutally murdered in extrajudicial killings,” they claimed.
Flanked by several youths, including university student leaders from the University of Nairobi, they accused the President of forming an alliance with a few billionaires, whom they allege have plundered the country’s wealth.
They labelled the current government as corrupt, led by President Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga, whom they described as an opportunist.
The group stated that they do not recognise or respect the broad-based government, the post of Prime Cabinet Secretary held by Musalia Mudavadi, or the recycling of sacked cabinet secretaries back into government as advisors.
Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria and former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo were last Thursday reappointed to government roles, being named as Presidential Economic Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Performance and Delivery, respectively.
The youths continued to express that the country is in economic crisis and drowning in illegitimate debt, adding that many youths are jobless and the cost of living is unbearable.
“We are calling for a total shutdown of the nation tomorrow. Tomorrow will not just be a day of commemoration; it will be a day of mass action,” their statement read.
They went on to announce a general strike and a protest against the tyranny of President Ruto, demanding his immediate resignation.
Tomorrow at 2:00 pm, they urged Kenyans, wherever they may be, to abandon whatever they are doing and take a short break to reflect on whether the constitution has benefited them.
The group also mentioned their intention to travel across the country, convincing Kenyans of the need for a new government, and indicated that they would field some of their members for elective posts during the next election.
In their statement, they outlined five points which they claim reflect the people’s demands:
- Reclaim national sovereignty and establish a pro-people government that reflects the true will of Kenyans, free from the influence of corrupt elites.
- Implement economic justice by adopting policies that prioritise job creation, affordable living, and equitable distribution of resources.
- Cement accountability and justice by holding those responsible for corruption and extrajudicial killings accountable through a transparent legal process.
- Restore and defend constitutional integrity by ensuring that it remains the supreme law of the land, unaltered by those in power.
- Establish inclusive governance through genuine mechanisms for people-driven public participation in decision-making processes at all levels of government.
The student leaders present expressed their opposition to the new university students’ funding model and announced that on 9th September, they will hold protests in the country’s universities to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with it.
“Students who are receiving higher funding are those whose parents are well-connected and wealthy, while the poorer students get only a small fraction of it,” they claimed.