Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, during a press briefing on Saturday, June 22, 2024, accused a foreign power of sponsoring Gen-Z protests against the Finance Bill across various parts of Kenya.
Mwaura alleged that certain powerful international entities were financing these protests due to displeasure with President William Ruto’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He claimed that these actions were influenced by external interests aimed at destabilizing the country’s internal affairs.
“Gen Z please listen to me, there are genuine people who are asking genuine questions but there is a group somewhere if I look keenly from afar there could be a foreign hand into this issue,” Mwaura said.
“This is because our president has spoken many things about us internationally. He has said that we must counter climate change and rallied the whole of Africa together and maybe some people are not happy,” he added.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura continued to allege that certain foreign powers were displeased with President William Ruto’s initiatives, including efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar in international trade. Mwaura also claimed that these powers were unhappy with Ruto’s acknowledgment of Kenya being affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
These remarks from Mwaura followed similar allegations made by political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi, who earlier stated that foreign powers were behind the ‘Occupy Parliament’ protests and the ‘Reject Finance Bill’ demonstrations led by Kenyan youth. Ngunyi asserted in a statement on June 19, 2024, that these protests were sponsored by foreign entities dissatisfied with President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government.
In light of these claims, Ngunyi advised members of parliament to not only consider the concerns of protesting citizens but also to recognize external forces influencing the demonstrations.
