NAIROBI, Kenya — Prominent political scientist and analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has provoked widespread anger across Kenya following his public urging of President William Ruto to “show no mercy” towards Gen Z during the protests scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Ngunyi’s controversial tweet, posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, just hours before the planned Gen Z Memorial March, has been widely perceived as deliberately inflaming an already tense national atmosphere.
Tension is palpable across the country, particularly in Nairobi and other counties, as citizens prepare for demonstrations.
These protests aim to commemorate the victims of police brutality during the anti-Finance Bill protests of 2024.
This year, demonstrators are also demanding justice for the recent killing of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’, who died in police custody, and the horrifying shooting of Boniface Kariuki.
Ngunyi’s contentious advice to the president suggested that “no mercy” should be shown to the protesters because, in his view, they would extend none to him either.
He wrote: “How is hanging Ruto at State House a peaceful protest? How is the murder of a constitutionally elected President a peaceful protest? Dear Ruto, You must show them no mercy because they will show you none. Maybe this is a political joke. But jokes are known to topple governments.”
The immediate public backlash against Ngunyi’s remarks has been swift and overwhelmingly negative on social media. Many Kenyans expressed profound anger, emphasizing their expectation that the protests would remain peaceful.
Also Read: Kenya police warn protesters ahead of June 24 Gen Z anniversary demonstrations
A significant portion of netizens felt that Ngunyi’s counsel amounted to advising the government to adopt a harsh crackdown—an approach they argued would only exacerbate the situation rather than resolve underlying issues.
Citizens swiftly took to social media to assert that protests are a fundamental legal right, which they intend to exercise to challenge police violence and demand justice.
Others pointedly reminded the political analyst of the immense grief experienced by families who have lost loved ones to extrajudicial killings during past protests.
Furthermore, calls were made for Mutahi Ngunyi to demonstrate understanding, with many stressing that the youth-led demonstrations represent a legitimate avenue for expressing grievances, not a threat to the government’s stability.
