Why Ruto's apology to young people was not good enough

A protester flees from teargas lobbed at along Moi Avenue, Nairobi during the anti-government protests on July 16,2024. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

On a calm afternoon, President William Ruto stood before the nation and issued a half-hearted apology to Kenya's youth. "If the Gen Zs were wronged, then sorry," he said, brushing past a moment that should have been marked by solemn national reflection. It was not the apology Kenya needed. It was a pseudo-lawyerly deflection masquerading as empathy. And that "if"-small as it is-did too much heavy lifting.

It suspended truth in midair, as though there is still ambiguity over whether state power has been misused against a generation that is now the face of civic awakening in Kenya. Less than a week after that statement, Rose Njeri was arrested-not for rioting, not for destruction of property, not for inciting violence. She was arrested for doing what the Constitution not only permits but requires: Facilitating public participation on the Finance Bill 2025.