Russia, Uhuru, Ford Foundation, Gachagua: Who does the Gov’t really think ‘sponsored’ Gen Z protests?

Kenyans have been treated to a game of buck-passing by top government officials, regarding just who is responsible for the Gen-Z protests that rocked the Kenya Kwanza administration's nascent rule.

The storming of Parliament in June seemed to spark an almost desperate search for the masterminds, with key State officials refusing to consider the possibility that it could have been spontaneous.

Accusatory fingers have been pointed in many directions, and the buck it appears, has currently stopped at the Deputy President's doorstep.

"I hereby put on notice the planners, financiers, orchestrators and abettors of violence and anarchy," President Ruto said on June 25 after Parliament was breached by protestors.

The writing was on the wall; somebody would pay for the breach of Parliament's defences, the fire set to the seat of the capital's county government and the ransacking of the Supreme Court at the crescendo of protests that saw the collapse of the heavily contested Finance Act 2024.

"We shall provide a full, effective and expeditious response to today's treasonous event," Ruto added.

Just two days prior to the storming of Parliament, Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura had pointed an accusatory finger at foreign powers for 'sponsoring' the protests, claiming that possibly the Russians or even the American's were rattled by President Ruto's pronouncements on the global stage.

"Nikiangalia kwa umbali, could be there's a foreign hand. Juzi Ruto amesema mambo ya Russian invasion. This issue of de-dollarisation...tujichunge sana," Mwaura said then.

Since then, it's been a moving target.

Abductions carried out by police painted the picture of an administration grappling in the dark for somebody, anybody to blame except itself, for the protests.

Intelligence briefs pointed at six politicians, a businessman and two NGOs who allegedly mobilised anarchists.

An accusatory finger was also pointed at the Kenya Kwanza administration's favourite bogeyman, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, with unnamed close associates reportedly placed under investigation as possible financiers.

Then entered the Ford Foundation.

"I want to call out those who are behind the anarchy in Kenya, those who are behind sponsoring chaos in the Republic of Kenya, shame on them because they are sponsoring violence against our democratic nation. I want to ask the Ford Foundation if that money they are giving out to fund violence, how is it going to benefit them?" Ruto posed.

Unfounded suspicions intended to wrangle the civil society organisations and that saw Boniface Mwangi's Sema Ukweli offices targeted.

President Ruto made a further mockery of himself three days ago on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly when he met with the President of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker in New York and appreciated their commitment to safeguarding Kenya's democracy.

The targets now are allies of the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who foretold of the buck landing on his doorstep three months ago.

"They want to blame me," said the DP at a past event, in turn passing the buck on to the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

But with Friday's adoption by the DPP of the DCI's recommendation to charge two sitting Members of Parliament and three other for the violence witnessed during the June 25 protests, it appears the buck has stopped at the Deputy President's doorstep.