Kinity warns Gen Z: Slogans alone will not save Kenya

The presidential aspirant says removing Ruto without eradicating corruption would repeat the failures that followed Moi’s departure

By Daisy Moraa

Presidential aspirant Isaac Newton Kinity yesterday warned Generation Z against placing their hopes for change in slogans such as “One Term” and “Ruto Must Go,” arguing that removing President William Ruto from office without dismantling corruption would leave Kenya facing the same problems under a different government.

Kinity, former secretary general of the Kenya Civil Servants Union and leader of the Jirani Mzalendo Asili Party, made the remarks as he appealed to young Kenyans to join his political movement ahead of the 2027 General Election, framing corruption and the theft of public resources as the root cause of unemployment, poverty and the broader suffering facing ordinary citizens.

“The removal of William Ruto alone without eradicating corruption and the theft of public money will be completely useless,” Kinity said.

His argument draws a direct line between the mobilisation energy of the Gen Z-driven protests that shook Kenya in 2024 and what he describes as a missing political analysis within that movement — namely, that the problem is systemic rather than personal to any single officeholder. Kinity said the fight against corruption must target individuals across the political divide, including within the opposition, rather than focusing exclusively on the sitting president.

To support his case, he reached back to the campaign that ended Daniel arap Moi’s presidency. The “Moi Must Go” movement of the 1990s succeeded in removing its target, Kinity argued, but corruption persisted long after Moi left State House because no serious effort was made to recover stolen public funds or prosecute those responsible. He warned that 2027 risked producing the same outcome.

“Ruto must go, one term, one term, one term, will not save Kenyans even after William Ruto leaves office. What matters is what follows after William Ruto leaves office,” he said.

Kinity then offered a specific and measurable pledge: if elected president in 2027, he would eradicate corruption and recover stolen public funds within two years, or resign from office.

“If I am elected President of Kenya in 2027, God willing, and unless I die or become disabled, I will eradicate corruption and the theft of public funds in Kenya within two years. If I fail to fulfil this promise, I must resign from the presidency,” he said.

The pledge is unusually precise for Kenyan electoral politics, where anti-corruption commitments have historically been broad, unverifiable and rarely attached to personal consequences for failure. Whether voters will find it credible is another matter — Kenya has heard similar promises before — but Kinity is at least staking something on it.

He urged young Kenyans completing school and unable to find employment to join his party, arguing that job creation was impossible while public funds continued to be stolen. He called on citizens to read his manifesto before the 2027 campaign reaches full stride.

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