Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has weighed in on Kenya’s spiraling political and social climate, calling the Gen Z-led protests a wake-up call that has exposed a dangerous leadership vacuum across the country’s political divide.
Speaking on Sunday at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Thika town, the Jubilee Party presidential hopeful lamented what he termed a failure by both the government and opposition to take responsibility amid growing national discontent.
“You don’t need rocket science or a PhD from Harvard to know that the country is headed in the wrong direction and that the citizens are not happy,” Matiang’i said bluntly.
He criticized Kenya’s top leaders for resorting to blame games and divisive rhetoric instead of addressing the accountability and governance issues raised by Gen Z.
Without naming names, Matiang’i condemned recent ethnically charged statements from senior officials, describing them as “laughable” and “an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans.”
He also questioned the credibility of ongoing investigations into recent protest-related violence, warning that half-truths and poor leadership were only fueling public anger.
“What we need now is less noise and more action,” he urged, calling for a moratorium on political theatrics and a united front to chart a new course for the country.
