By Tajeu Shadrack Nkapapa
The former President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged leaders to embrace dialogue in the midst of the Anti-Finance Bill 2024 protest across the country by Gen Z.
Dear Kenyans, I stand with you and I ask our leadership to embrace dialogue and speak to the people and not at the people.I pray for peace and understanding on the part of each and every Kenyan and for all of us to remember that Kenya is bigger than one of us:thre is nothing cast in stone that cannot be changed,”stated former President.
In a statement dispatch by the office of the former president on X, the president mourned the fallen Kenyans during the protests adding that Kenyans have a right to peaceful demonstration as per the laws of Kenya.
“I come to you with a heavy heart, saddened by the loss of lives occasioned by the current situation prevailing in our country. It is the right of every Kenyan to protest as determined by the constitution we all promulgated in 2010. It is also the duty of leaders to listen to those they lead,” the fourth Kenya President said.
According to the former President, leaders have a duty to listen to the voices of the people they lead as per the constitution of Kenya for the better growth of our democracy.
“I want to remind all leaders that they were elected by the people. Listening to the people is not a choice but a mandate enshrined in principles of our constitution and in the very basis of philosophy and democracy,” said the retired president.
However the former head of state urged everyone to stay calm and call on the leadership to exercise restraint. It is vital for them to genuinely listen to the people’s concerns and respond constructively rather than with hostilit
“I therefore call for calm and for the leadership to show restraint and do the right thing by listening to the people and not be antagonistic to them,” noted retired president Kenyatta.
The former President of Kenya has denounced violence from all sides, asserting that it is never the solution for the country.