Suluhu wants Ruto's help to ‘discipline’ Gen Zs agitating for good governance

Speaking during a joint address at State House, Dar es Salaam on Monday, President Suluhu opined that youths in the East African bloc are becoming notorious for how they call for astute governance and should be tamed.

Suluhu maintained that the call for good governance is handled differently in different democracies, and those breaching the standards of conduct in Tanzania, despite their nationality, will be met with the full force of the law. 

"There is no need to be divided, to celebrate the vices that happen on either side. If they show up in Kenya, they are ours as well, and we should jointly deal with them, and the same should be done in Tanzania," she said.

"The word democracy should not taint our countries and our cultures. It has no formula. Your democracy is not the same as our democracy."

She therefore called on President Ruto to support her tough disciplinarian belief, saying it will help tame the youth.

"We were discussing with President Ruto on how to deal with the notorious Gen Z, and they want to cause chaos in East Africa. They want to destroy their democracies," he said.

"I told him we have to stand firm on this. That if they come to Tanzania, I whip them, and when they come to Kenya, you whip them. With that, we will have countries with respectful people," she noted.

This lies on the backdrop of heaping agitation for a change of leadership by youthful citizens in both nations, mostly among the Gen Zs.

In Kenya, the Kenyan youth staged a mega anti-government protest in 2024, after punitive taxes were proposed for approval before Parliament.

They also called for accountable leadership, calling for the removal of all graft-linked politicians.

Despite President Ruto accusing "organized criminals" and "treasonous" individuals of infiltrating the protests, the agitation led to the withdrawal of the contentious Finance Bill 2024.

Protests and anti-government civic actions have remained prevalent in Kenya since then, even heightening ahead of the 2027 General Election.

In Tanzania, youth-led protests were witnessed during a controversial election in October 2025 that led to the re-election of President Suluhu amid deadly protests.

There were reports of internet shutdowns, politically motivated abductions, and mass killings.

Likewise, there were reports of Kenyan citizens being assaulted during the electoral period and some even detained.

Both instances attracted global ridicule over the harsh government response to protests, calling for a cessation of excessive force against citizens.

Likewise, President Ruto has taken a hardline stance against protests, even ordering police to "shoot in the leg" those destroying property or engaging in violence, following deadly Saba Saba demonstrations in 2025.