NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 15 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s plea to protesting youth to abandon the streets and register as voters in readiness for the 2027 General Election has ignited an online debate amid foreign influence claims.
In remarks made on July 8 before departing to the US for a two-month visit, Gachagua urged Gen Z protesters to shift strategy, warning them against risking their lives in street demonstrations.
He appealed to young people to acquire IDs, register as voters, and “deal with President William Ruto at the ballot.”
“I fear for them. Anytime they go out to the streets, they are killed like chicken,” Gachagua said, accusing President Ruto of using “state militias” and “brutal force” to suppress protests.
“I’d like to plead with them to consider joining us, we in the opposition, by registering as voters.”
But Gachagua’s attempt to align himself with Gen Z has drawn scorn from many of the same youth he sought to address, who view his overtures as opportunistic.
Among the most pointed critiques came from Mumbi Seraki, an activist and TikToker, who suggested Gachagua’s message was orchestrated under pressure from unnamed international powers connected to his trip to the United States.
“He was summoned by the puppet masters,” Seraki claimed in a viral video.
“That trip wasn’t about the diaspora. It was about being read the riot act. They’re uncomfortable with him, but now they want to use him to contain the movement.”
‘Courted by foreign players’
Seraki suggested that Gachagua, seen as an anti-establishment figure following his impeachment, was now being courted by foreign players looking to manage or redirect the Gen Z movement by installing “an approved leader.”
“This isn’t just about taxes or politics — it’s spiritual,” she declared. “The leader of this movement has already been chosen by the Most High and the ancestors. And it’s not Gachagua.”
The backlash comes as Gachagua and his allies position themselves to harness discontent by the “leaderless” Gen Z-led movement, which has grown increasingly skeptical of traditional political actors, regardless of affiliation.
What began as protests against the Finance Bill in June 2024 has morphed into a broader expression of distrust in Kenya’s entire political class.
Seraki accused Gachagua of trying to position himself as a messianic figure in a struggle he neither started nor understands.
“If we see more leaders flying to the US or making sudden calls for peace, we’ll know who’s pulling the strings,” Seraki warned. “But this time, the youth are watching. And they’re not buying it.”
