Havi to Ruto: This is not what you promised, release the detained youth
By Steve Ireri, July 17, 2025Former Law Society of Kenya [LSK] president Nelson Havi has issued an impassioned appeal to President William Ruto, urging him to direct the Ministry of Interior to rescind the charges levied against young men and women detained for participating in protests.
Havi condemned the continued incarceration as a flagrant violation of constitutional rights and a betrayal of the democratic principles the government purports to uphold.
Speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Havi invoked Ruto’s paternal role, urging him to reconsider the harsh treatment meted out to the youth.
“I make a plea to President William Samoei Ruto to order the Ministry of Interior to forego the trumped-up charges and release these young men and women. President Ruto, you are a father. This is not what you signed up for. You cannot do this,” he declared, emphasising the gravity of the state’s actions.
He characterised the detention of these protestors, who were exercising their fundamental right to peaceful assembly and to demand accountability, as egregiously unjust, sinful, unconstitutional and profoundly misguided.
Havi urged their immediate release, pointing out that their prolonged confinement inflicts undue suffering not only on the detainees but also on their families.
“It is bad. It is sinful, unconstitutional, and moronic. Let these children return to their families. There is no necessity for a court order. They have committed no offence,” he asserted.
In the same breath, Havi underlined that the youth were simply exercising their democratic mandate by voicing legitimate concerns and demanding transparency from the government.
He cautioned that suppressing such dissent undermines the very foundations of governance and the social contract.
Christian ethos
Invoking the Christian ethos that President Ruto professes, Havi reminded him that he is doing the exact opposite of what scripture teaches.
According to Havi, it is senseless for Ruto to repeatedly proclaim his salvation while failing to adhere to the biblical teaching in which Jesus urged that when a child asks for something, it must be given; when they ask for bread, they should not be given a serpent in return.
“When children ask for something, and you claim to be a Christian, you must grant it. Even Jesus taught this. If children ask for fish, you cannot give them a serpent.”