The Office of the Government Spokesperson has found itself on the receiving end of angered Kenyans online.
It sparked the hostility after seeming to identify with the ‘Niko Kadi’ slogan, a clarion call launched by young Kenyans to mobilise voter registration ahead of the 2027 general election.
On Saturday, March 21, the spokesperson’s official handle sent a tweet identifying with the slogan.
“Mayouth Je, MKO KADI?” the account tweeted.
It went ahead to urge the youth to show up at an Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) designated station or Huduma Centre to enlist as voters.
“Visit an IEBC office near you or Huduma Centre and register as a voter,” it said.
The tweets were not well received, with a majority of the responders blasting the government for what they said was mocking them in the face of many atrocities committed against civilians by the state, including abductions and extrajudicial killings.
Many referenced the deaths of young Kenyans during the 2024 protests against the year’s Finance Bill, noting that they were registering as voters to remove the same regime that was urging them to enlist as voters.
They expressed their anger both in words and graphics, asking the government to keep off the ‘Niko Kadi’ banner.
Despite having risen to power in 2022 through a popular vote, President William Ruto’s regime has grown unpopular over time, with the citizenry accusing him of reneging on the promises he made while seeking office.
Ruto had pledged to lower the cost of living and ease the tax regimes, only to widen them after being sworn in.
He has introduced taxes and reviewed such legacy programmes left by retired president Uhuru Kenyatta as Linda Mama, free secondary education and university funding.
The climax of the public anger was witnessed in 2024 when the citizens rose against the Finance Bill, which had introduced a raft of taxation that, if passed, would have overburdened them.
Ruto, for the first time, was forced to discard the bill after ‘listening’ to what the public wanted.
However, despite the decision to do away with the bill, Ruto’s regime was blemished by the killings of protesters on the streets.
