BUNGOMA, Kenya – President William Ruto has called on Kenyan leaders to prioritize empowering and growing the country’s youth instead of inciting them into violence.
His comments come in response to former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent address to Generation Z, urging them to fight for their rights.
During a church service at Cheptais Interdenominational Prayer Service in Bungoma County, Ruto stressed the importance of nurturing the younger generation for the betterment of the nation.
“As parents, as the government, as leaders, let us not incite our children,” Ruto emphasized.
He pointed out that youth in Kenya are in dire need of employment and opportunities, not confrontation or violence.
Ruto urged leaders to focus on initiatives that provide tangible benefits for young people, such as jobs in ICT hubs, the national housing program, county aggregation and industrial parks, and labor migration.
“These young people of Kenya, they don’t need violence or confrontation. They want jobs and opportunities to benefit them,” he said.
Ruto also reaffirmed his dedication to fostering unity across all communities in Kenya.
He condemned practices that perpetuate ethnic discrimination and hatred, calling for a cohesive and inclusive national development strategy.
“We must avoid things of hatred, divisiveness, ethnic discrimination, and all those other things,” Ruto stated.
The President concluded with a pledge of inclusivity, promising that every region, community, and religious group in Kenya would be part of the country’s progress.
“There is no community that is going to be isolated, there is no region that is going to be isolated, there is no county that is going to be left behind, there is no religion that is going to be left behind. We are going to move together, as one people, as one nation with a common destiny,” Ruto affirmed.