Nyali Member of Parliament Mohamed Ali has urged Kenyan youth to halt the nationwide anti-government protests, warning of potential destabilization of the country. Initially sparked last month to pressure legislators to reject the unpopular Finance Bill, 2024, the protests have since expanded into a broader opposition against President William Ruto’s administration.
Despite Ruto’s announcement last week that he would not sign the Bill into law, the youth have continued to campaign both online and on the streets, demanding his resignation. They accuse the Kenya Kwanza administration of incompetence, neglecting citizens, corruption, and squandering public resources.
However, the Nyali MP, a member of Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, contends that the demonstrations, now in
“You have no idea what an unstable country looks like; ask me, I have been to several countries which have been destabilised by dirty politics; South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda,” Ali said on Wednesday during a meeting of UDA legislators and religious leaders in Mombasa.
“They were all good countries that were ruined by the youth through dirty politics and tribalism. Let us not waste our country because of the interests of some people.”
Ali claimed the ongoing protests are backed by unnamed persons with ulterior motives and urged the youth to stop them.
“This is not about the Finance Bill; it was not about it. It is about something else and people are taking advantage of that to destabilise our country,” said the MP.
In his view, Kenyans should give President Ruto’s administration space to lead and wait for the next General Election in 2027 to elect whoever they want.
“People have the power to elect whoever they want in 2027. For now, let us allow President William Ruto to put his house in order. He has rejected the Bill and offered to have a discussion,” Ali said.
He told the youth to “give the police peace of mind”.
“I will also go around the county preaching peace; I don’t care if I will be hit or not,” said the MP, whose office protesters stormed on June 24 over his absence at the National Assembly when his counterparts were voting for the contentious draft law.
Ali, himself a former investigative journalist, further blamed the media for covering the protests, terming it diminishing to the country.
