Kenya’s President William Ruto is poised to make history by hosting a public online forum to engage with anti-tax protesters on the social media platform X Spaces.
His 31-year-old daughter, Charlene Ruto, has promoted this event as “the first ever president in the world to hold an online meeting with all Gen Z.” This demographic has been at the forefront of recent protests challenging her father’s presidency.
The demonstrations against President Ruto’s finance bill, which were organized via X Spaces, have led to significant unrest. X Spaces allows users to host live audio conversations, making it a crucial tool for the protesters.
A state-funded human rights commission reports that over 40 people died during the protests, most of them on the day the bill was passed by MPs last week. The interior ministry reports 25 protesters were killed. In response to the widespread outrage over the proposed tax increases, President Ruto announced he would withdraw the legislation, initially intended to help reduce Kenya’s debt burden of over $80 billion (£63 billion).
However, the protests have evolved into broader demands for President Ruto’s resignation and calls for accountability for the security forces involved in the protester killings. To address these issues, President Ruto has invited young people to join him on an X Space this Friday under the hashtag #EngageThePresident, scheduled from 11:00 GMT to 14:00 GMT (14:00 to 17:00 local time). Charlene Ruto also tweeted about the event, encouraging young people to participate constructively.
Several members of President Ruto’s cabinet are also expected to join the discussion to address the grievances of the youth. Meanwhile, a segment of Kenyans on X have pledged to boycott the president’s chat and plan to host a parallel Space to counter the conversation. They argue that President Ruto is already aware of their demands, which include disbanding the cabinet, tackling corruption, and implementing austerity measures within his administration.
Prior to the online engagement, President Ruto is scheduled to deliver a national address on television.
