'Protest, but...' President Ruto's warning ahead of June 25th Gen Z demos anniversary

Speaking on Friday during the National Productivity and Performance Conference at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, the President said the country must remain committed to order, productivity, and national development even as citizens exercise their democratic freedoms.

“We are a country that believes viciously in order, we are a civilised nation, we are an organised society, we believe in the rule of law,” Ruto said.

He emphasised that while the government will protect the right to protest, such freedoms must not interfere with the country’s economic and social stability.

“It is right for every citizen who has an issue to petition or to protest and we must protect their right to do so,” he said, warning that any attempt to mobilise unrest or destroy property would not be tolerated.

“The one thing that is not going to happen is that people will be mobilised to destroy property or to cause chaos or mayhem. That will not happen,” he stated.

Ruto stressed the need to safeguard key sectors of the economy and public life, including education, agriculture, and business operations, arguing that disruptions would undermine national productivity.

“We must also protect the right of our children to go to school and learn and our farmers to go to the farm and produce food so that we do not sleep hungry. And the business people we must protect them to go to work to do business,” he said.

“We must protect every worker to go to work so that we can raise the productivity of our nation,” he added.

The remarks come amid heightened political tensions and public debate over the planned commemorations of the June 25 protests that have taken place in the past two years, with authorities on alert over possible demonstrations in Nairobi and other urban centres.

Ruto also used the forum to call for national unity and renewed focus on development, saying Kenya must reject mediocrity and fully utilise its resources, human capital, and economic potential to accelerate growth.

"For far too long we have made peace with mediocrity at the expense of our nation. There is absolutely no reason why kenya is where we are today when our peers, Sinagpore, Korea, Malaysia are in the first world. what the hell are we doing being a thrd world country, honestly," the President said.

Meanwhile, the United States Embassy in Kenya has issued a security advisory to American citizens, warning of the possibility of demonstrations across the country, particularly in major urban centres and Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD), ahead of the June 25 anniversary of anti-government protests witnessed over the past two years.

In the advisory released on Thursday, the embassy cautioned that demonstrations could occur at any time, although the likelihood of protests is expected to be higher around June 25.

The embassy noted that any demonstrations could lead to significant traffic disruptions, congestion, and roadblocks erected by both protesters and law enforcement agencies.