A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Friday, has commended President William Ruto of Kenya for sacking nearly his entire cabinet following widespread anti-government protests by youths, otherwise referred to Gen-Zs in the country.
Frank, in a statement in Abuja, said the action of Ruto which was in fulfillment of one of the demands of the protesters, has portrayed him as a listening President who was ready to embrace new ideas in moving Kenya forward.
He said: “We commend President Ruto for taking this action in the interests of Kenya. We commend him for listening to the Gen-Z protesters. His decision to sack his ministers is no doubt for the greater good of Kenyans.”
He encouraged Ruto to take further urgent steps to implement other demands of the protesters “because they mean well for him and his government in particular and Kenyans in general.”
He appealed to him to release all protesters arrested during the demonstrations who are currently being detained by the police and other security forces as well as compensate families whose loved ones were shot dead by security agents and the injured.
He implored Ruto to capitalise on the opportunity now availed him by the youth upheaval and protest to rebuild and reunite Kenya.
“He must realise that listening to the protesters and implementing their demands does not mean he is a weak president,” he said.
Frank who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua’s Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, added: “We urge him to bring on board young people that can make impact in the lives of the ordinary Kenyan in his new cabinet.
“He now has an opportunity to correct past mistakes which he is already doing and we want other leaders from the continent to emulate what Ruto has just done by always lending listening ears to the cries and demands of their people.
“We equally pray that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has seen what happened in Kenya and that they are ready to take the steps Ruto has taken by cutting down the present over bloated cost of governance and withdraw their pernicious economic policies or risk the Kenya-style uprising in the country.”
He equally urged the protesters to see the positive results of their action as a win-win for all sides and pardon Ruto for whatever missteps he must have done and work with him for a better Kenya “since the President appears to have learned his lessons and shown remorse by implementing their demands.
“The young people of Kenya have shown that power truly belongs to the people, not to anybody, or individual.
“Listening to the protesters has shown that the voice of the young people counts and that the President is a true leader who is neither weak nor blinded by the allure of power.
“That the President has harkened to the masses of Kenya who elected him into office shows that he is ready to toe the path of reason and work in the interest of the generality of Kenyans moving forward,” Frank said.
He noted that whatever the protesters had done was done in the interest and for the progress of Kenya and not to destroy or destabilise the country.
Going forward, he urged Ruto and the Kenyan Government to consult widely and consider the best interest of Kenyans before taking any decision that may negatively affect the people.
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