Our youth are still sufferring a year after protests, Babu warns

When Embakasi East MP Babu Owino jumped over the fence of County Hall during the Gen Z protests in Nairobi on June 25,2024 [File, Standard]

A year since the June 2024 anti-government protests, there has been no meaningful change to address the plight of youth, observes Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

Abductions, unemployment and police brutality overseen by a tone-deaf administration, he says, are still the order of the day and there is need for the government to change tact lest the country slides into a lawless state.

In an interview with Spice FM, the lawmaker recounted the events of July 2024 where Parliament was breached, City Hall and lawmakers' properties set on fire, and which ultimately led to President William Ruto firing his entire Cabinet.

While acknowledging that the Finance Bill 2024, which sought to raise more than Sh302 billion additional revenue through taxes, was the main bone of contention, he blamed Parliament's high-handedness and the government's oppression of its people for the insurrection by the youth.

He regrets that Parliament's lack of independence in the chokehold by the Executive has only soiled the relationship between the youth and the Ruto administration.

"Parliament is dependent, not independent and all these problems are coming from Parliament because if we had a serious Parliament, we would not even be in this debt crisis. We would also not have these punitive taxes that Kenyans are demonstrating against," said Owino.

"It is supposed to represent, and to legislate, but it is now making laws that are individual-based, laws that are going to please an individual. We have to make laws for posterity, laws for the future laws for our future children but the laws that we are making are laws that are going to impress those in power," he added.

During last years' protests, the MP cum lawyer earned praise for scaling Parliament's fence to join protesters demonstrating against the Finance Bill 2024.