Kivutha Kibwana advises Ruto on what to do to quell protests
By Mustafa Juma, July 7, 2025Former Makueni County Governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana has suggested what President Ruto needs to do to quell the violent protests that have been happening in the country.
Speaking on Monday, July 7, 2025, during an interview with a local TV station, Kibwana said that if he were the head of state, he would find a way to communicate with the young people widely referred to as Gen Z and listen to their grievances.
He argued that there are already known leaders of Gen Z who can be approached, despite the youth claiming initially that they were leaders.
“The system has already identified some leaders and hurt others, killed some, and so on, because from the way they talk on X spaces, when they are in those demonstrations, relatively among the young people there is leadership, but initially they were saying they were leaderless because it was a movement similar to Black Lives Matter. If they decide to talk, they can organise among themselves. As I have said before, we don’t want to be killed every day. We want employment, we want the rule of law, and we want an empathetic country,” Kibwana said, warning that the country risks collapsing if the continued protests are not quelled.
“If I were the president, which I am not, I would ask, how would I talk to these people? The country can’t continue this way; it will collapse, and when it collapses, it collapses for all of us.”
Saba Saba protests deaths
Kibwana’s remarks come moments after the National Police Service (NPS) confirmed that 11 people lost their lives in various parts of the country during Saba Saba protests on Monday, July 7, 2025.
In a statement issued by police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, NPS indicated that all 11 were civilians, while 11 others also sustained injuries.
According to the statement, 52 security officers were also injured while maintaining order during the Saba Saba Day commemoration.
Notably, police revealed that Manyatta Member of Parliament Gitonga Mukunji was arrested. NPS did not immediately reveal why he was apprehended.
“Regrettably, preliminary reports indicate fatalities, injuries, damage to motor vehicles, and several incidents of looting as detailed below. Additionally, a number of suspects have been arrested, including Gitonga Mukunji, MP for Manyatta Constituency,” the NPS statement read in part.