NAIROBI, Kenya— President William Ruto has termed the unrest witnessed during the June 25 Gen-Z protests as ‘economic sabotage’, condemning the loss of lives, looting, and destruction of businesses, particularly those owned by small and medium-sized traders.
The Head of State, who spoke during the International MSMEs Day celebrations, asserted that the violence went far beyond peaceful protest, blaming what he called “criminal elements” for targeting entrepreneurs and traders.
“Besides the regrettable loss of lives, the biggest victims of this chaos were our hardworking traders and entrepreneurs who woke up the next day to find some of their businesses and hustles reduced to ashes,” he said.
Small enterprises are the engines of our economic growth. They not only drive innovation, but also support livelihoods. So immense is the sector’s potential that it creates the largest number of jobs and generates earnings for our young people and women.We are, therefore,
“It was calculated chaos. It was destruction. It was economic sabotage. It is anarchy dressed in freedom colors. This is disorder disguised as democracy.”
He criticized the perpetrators for disguising lawlessness as freedom and warned of stern legal consequences.
Ruto called on the Inspector-General of Police and all security agencies to carry out swift and decisive investigations, adding that the government would not tolerate attempts to undermine public order or destabilize the economy.
He vowed that those responsible for the violence would be “unmasked and prosecuted.”
The Head of State also aimed at political figures whom he accused of exploiting youth frustrations for personal gain, reminding them that power should only be pursued through constitutional means, specifically, elections.
Wednesday’s demonstrations were called to mark the first anniversary of the infamous killings at the height of the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations were more than 60 youths lost their lives at the behest of the police.
The demonstrations, however, degenerated into chaos, with at least 16 people killed and several business premises looted and torched across several counties.
