Amid ongoing protests against the Finance Bill 2024, renowned actress Lupita Nyong’o has expressed her support for the Kenyan youth. On June 25, 2024, she praised those who took to the streets to oppose the controversial bill, commending the youth for exercising their democratic rights.
Lupita also expressed her sadness over the loss of lives during the protests, extending her condolences to the victims’ families and urging the government to find peaceful solutions to the concerns raised by the masses.
Her statement:
“I salute the Kenyan youth and I am grateful to them for coming together in an extraordinary way to stand up against the problematic Finance Bill 2024 as well as to defend and promote the democratic rights of the Kenyan people.
“I am extremely saddened that lives have been lost in the process, and my thoughts are with the victims’ families.
“May the government of Kenya aim to peacefully unify the nation by hearing and addressing the concerns about bad governance that are rightfully being raised,” she concluded, using the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024 to emphasize her stance.
The protests intensified as demonstrators, chanting “Ruto must go,” stormed the parliament buildings, vandalizing property and even serving themselves food from the cafeteria.
This unrest occurred despite police efforts to disperse the crowd. In response, President William Ruto addressed the nation, stating that the events marked a critical point in how the government handles national security threats.
He pledged to restore normalcy and hold those responsible for the demonstrations accountable.President Ruto emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting national security, describing the protests as an existential danger to the republic.
He assured Kenyans of an expeditious response to what he termed as treasonous events, warning that the security infrastructures would be deployed to secure the country and restore order.
His words:
“I hereby put on notice the planners, financiers, orchestrators and abettors of violence and anarchy that these security infrastructures established to protect our republic and its sovereignty, will be deployed to secure the country and restore normalcy.
“The government will therefore uphold its constitutional mandate to secure our nation and its development and shall treat every threat to national security and the integrity of our state as an existential danger to our Republic,” he said.
Ruto reiterated that the government would uphold its constitutional mandate to ensure the nation’s safety and development.
