Police in Mombasa on Tuesday lobbed teargas canisters to youthful protesters who barricaded various roads paralysing normal activities within Mombasa island.
The protesters marched in various roads within Mombasa Island chanting anti-Ruto slogans
Carrying placards, the youth criticised President William Ruto’s government singing ‘Ruto Must Go’
The youth battled it out with police at Sabasaba area along the Jomo Kenyatta Avenue connecting Makupa cause-way and the Central Business District (CBD).
Though it was not a large group of the Gen-Z compared to the past protests, they put blocks and lit fires along the busy road paralysing transport and other business activities.
Vehicles mostly the public transport vehicles and buses from Nairobi or those leaving Mombasa CBD to Nairobi were forced to delay their journeys following the protests.
Police engaged the youth and dispersed them, only to find them regrouped in a different road resulting into cat and mouse game between the police and protesters.
The youth are demanding transparency and accountability in President Ruto’s leadership which they say it has failed to implement their demands.
The protesters have further rubbished Ruto-Raila unity or dialogue saying they will not participate in any national dialogue.
“Do we need a national dialogue for a President to sack corrupt government officials? Do we even need national dialogue for the President to tell us the exact national debt, how much has been paid and how much we owe our lenders? He has failed us and he must climb down the Presidency,” said an agitated protester.
Peaceful
Marafiki Aid Relief Africa, a humanitarian organisation that provided emergency response and monitoring the situation within Mombasa Island during the protests disclosed that none was injured during the protests.
“We have been closely monitoring the situation from both sides, that of the protesters and the police. None was injured during the protests and police used teargas canisters to disperse the protesters,” said Marafiki Executive Director Rafik Rauf.
He further said that the organisation through its emergency medical wing is still monitoring the situation so as to provide any urgent medical assistance to any injured person or in case of any eventualities.
“Transport activities were hugely affected during the Tuesdays’ protests but we recorded no injuries during the entire protests. However, the situation affected businesses within Mombasa CBD as most shops were closed from very early in the morning throughout the day,” said Mr Rafik.
The Gen-Z protests started in June, 18, 2024 by demanding that the President drops the Finance bill,2024 in totality, which the President did.
President Ruto would later be forced to send the entire cabinet home following increased pressure from the youthful generations famously known as Gen-Z.
The Gen-Z are now demanding for Ruto’s resignation as the Kenya’s 5th president, claiming he has failed Kenyans for not fulfilling his promises and failing to serve the needs of Kenyans countrywide.
The youthful generation has already rubbished the call for National dialogue saying they only want President Ruto to fulfill their range of demands with accountability, transparency and ethics in governance topping the list of their demands.
