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Jalang’o dismisses Gen Z’s leaderless movement, says politics demands leadership
18th July, 2025 02:56 AM
Lang’ata Member of Parliament (MP) Phelix Odiwour, alias Jalang’o, has dismissed Gen Z’s leaderless movement, saying that politics demands leadership.
Speaking to media personality Alex Mwakideu on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Jalang’o said that a movement that is leaderless, tribeless, and partyless is essentially powerless because politics ultimately comes down to numbers, and without leadership, those numbers cannot be effectively mobilised.
He argued that Gen Z needs someone at the front to claim and wield those numbers on behalf of the movement.
“Leaderless, tribeless, partyless, hiyo sasa ndio hakuna kitu inaweza fanyika hapo, because at the end of the day, siasa is about numbers? Si wako na numbers hizi numbers watazipeleka wapi?Lazima kukuwe na leader ambaye atakuwa ako pale mbele ambaye watasema hizi number zetu lazima tumpatiye,” he said.
Jalang’o emphasised that in politics, you must have a leader and someone who defines the agenda and then champions it, adding that a movement cannot simply rely on numbers, they need a leader at the forefront to articulate the agenda and drive it forward.
“Kumanisha, you must have a leader, and in politics, you cannot be leaderless, lazima mseme agenda yeetu ndio hii na atakaye sukuma hii agenda ndio yule pale,” he added.
Jalang’o on 2027 elections
The youthful parliamentarian also argued that Gen Z’s plan to wait until 2027 to meet or take action is already too late. He pointed out that political campaigning has begun, voters are being mobilised, and empowerment efforts on the ground are underway.
Additionally, he says, by waiting until 2027, he warned, the moment will have passed, and key decisions will already have been made. According to him, Gen Z needed to act now, not in two years.
“Nasikia Gen Z wanaema tutakutana na nyinyi 2027, 2027 watakuwa wamechelewa sana, siasa zimeanza leo hii, watu wako juu ya magari campaign zinaendelea, watu wako kwa ground, empowerment ya wananchi inaendelea, wao wakifikiria itafika 2027 ndio sasa hii ndio ile mwaka but by that time mambo itakuwa imeenda na imeamuliwa,” he stated.
Leaderless movement
While others are criticising it, Busia Senator and human rights advocate Okiya Omtatah strongly defended the youth-led movement’s ‘partyless and leaderless’ nature, arguing that their demands were focused on accountability rather than power struggles.
Speaking during the People’s Dialogue Festival at Uhuru Park on March 3, 2025, he emphasised that the movement was not about political ambitions but about pushing the government to work within the law and fulfil its responsibilities to the people.
He pointed out that the youth were not interested in seizing power but wanted an administration that governed transparently and effectively. According to Omtatah, Kenya’s governance system, including political parties, is riddled with mismanagement, making it necessary for young people to take a different approach in their activism.
“Partyless/leaderless is not a wrong slogan. When the youth went to the streets, they were not fighting for power, they were demanding accountability across the political spectrum. They were not trying to grab power, they wanted the current government to work and deliver following the law,” Omtatah stated.
“They don’t want to be ruled, instead, they want to be governed. Our agenda is one, everything is being mismanaged, including the political parties.”
