An opinion leader from Meru has called on President William Ruto to hold a national dialogue with Kenyans since the country is not headed in the right direction.
Mwiti Kathendu who unsuccessfully vied for senatorial and South Imenti MP seats said there is a storm in the streets noting the thunder struck a long time ago in the silence of the country’s leadership.
Kathendu said the national dialogue should be real and not a public relation exercise adding that it should involve the youth, civil society, business leaders, clergy and workers in a round table where everyone is heard.
He said Ruto should do more to endear himself to the people as he made a lot of pledges in his campaign in 2022 and Kenyans had a lot of expectations on him.
“Kenyans are hurting, and not just from high prices,they are hurting because they feel unheard, unseen, unprotected. Gen Zs have lost hope. Their parents have too. The small businesses they run are collapsing under the weight of pending bills, loans, and an economy that seems to reward noise over hard work,” he said.
Kathendu said some of those parents, contractors, suppliers and entrepreneurs died from illness after being auctioned, crushed by debt after they worked for the government without pay.
Kathendu said the pending bills crisis is killing businesses.
“Meanwhile, young people in the so-called “future” are jobless and drowning in mobile loans. Their frustrations are real, not manufactured. And when you combine hunger and hopelessness, you get fire,”he added.
Kathendu said even police officers are hungry and vent their frustrations on the public,the public in return, retaliates.
“We are normalizing a culture of confrontation, of bitterness, a dangerous foundation for any nation,”he added.
Kathendu who also worked as a sub-county administrator with the Meru county government said people no longer ran to Raila for salvation not because they no longer like him, but because he can no longer cool the temperatures.
“This isn’t about opposition. It’s not about politics. It’s about survival. Some say Ruto is the problem. But I say even those waiting to take over would land in deeper trouble unless we have dialogue as a nation,” he said.
He also urged president Ruto to make the national debt public.
“Let Kenyans know what you inherited and tell us the truth. Let them be part of the solution, not just victims of it,”Kathendu said.
He spoke on Thursday after the June 25 demonstrations.
In Meru, Bei Sawa Supermarket,White Star Hotel,Maua NCPB were looted.
Kathendu said criminals took advantage of the demos to loot and police had the responsibility to protect lives and property.
“We can’t afford to have another wave of Gzs protests. It’s hurting the economy and painting our country in a bad image for investors. The president must act now or never,” he said.
