Raila Odinga: “I Stayed Away” Amid Gen Z Protests Allegations
Nairobi – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has firmly denied allegations that he benefited politically from the Gen Z protests earlier this year. The protests, which erupted against President William Ruto’s administration, forced the president to sack his entire Cabinet in July.
Ruto’s Cabinet Reshuffle Sparks Allegations
In an effort to calm public unrest, Ruto restructured his government and brought in five ODM officials. Many believed this move was a calculated attempt to unify a divided nation. However, the inclusion of Raila’s allies fueled speculation that the ODM leader leveraged the protests to gain influence.
Addressing the claims, Raila dismissed them as baseless. “I am not a beneficiary of the Gen Z protests. It has been a useless allegation made in the media,” he stated.
Raila Defends ODM Appointments
Raila explained that the appointments were based on merit and not political deals. He clarified, “Ruto said he wanted to involve a larger society in governance and asked if we could second some people from our party. I consulted with the Azimio Coalition, and some agreed to join. It was not a pact or coalition.”
“I am not a beneficiary of the Gen Z protests. It has been a useless allegation made in the media. What happened was that Ruto said he wanted to be involved and allow a larger society into governance and asked if we could give him some people in our party. I consulted with my colleagues in the Azoimi Coalition. Some were ready, and some were not. Then, we basically seconded some of our people to the government. It was not like forming a pack, nor a coalition, because we did not sit down and negotiate. So the people were hired on their merits, and they were to relinquish their positions in the party and not membership,” said Raila
The five ODM appointees relinquished their party roles before assuming Cabinet positions. They included:
- John Mbadi: Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury
- Hassan Joho: Cabinet Secretary for Mining
- Wycliffe Oparanya: Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives
- Opiyo Wandayi: Cabinet Secretary for Energy
- Beatrice Askul: Cabinet Secretary for East African Community Affairs
Gen Z’s Role in the Protests
Raila revealed that he stayed away from leading mass action protests after Gen Z activists demanded independence.
“I myself made a proposal that we should have a national convention to talk about our country; I was basically referring to the constitution’s Article 1…But the Gen Zs told me that they do not want any meeting, and that the government knew what they wanted. I was now not able to proceed and stayed away,” Raila said.
Clarifying His Stance
Raila reiterated his commitment to national dialogue, citing constitutional Article 1 as a path forward. He emphasized that he had no secret negotiations with Ruto, urging Kenyans to focus on unity and progress.
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Raila Odinga: “I Stayed Away” Amid Gen Z Protests Allegations
