Shelve intentions to destroy county headquarters, Tharaka Nithi Gen-Zs warned
By Gerald Mukembu
Tharaka Nithi County youths have been warned to shun any incitement to violence and destruction to their county headquarters.
Addressing journalists in Chuka town, area youth leaders said Gen-Z’s genuine protests over the dropped Finance Bill,2024 had been hijacked by rogue politicians with evil plans.
Led by their chairperson and National Youth Council representative Mr Eric Mwenda, the youth leaders uncovered a plot to burn county government headquarters in Kathwana today.
Mwenda said they had received prior information indicating that a few politicians have been mobilizing youths on social media and holding physical meetings inciting youths to burn county government offices on Wednesday because of their differences with the county’s top leadership.
“Our attention has been drawn by the ongoing mobilization by a few county politicians inciting youths to destroy county government offices. We, the Gen-Zs disassociate ourselves with the planned demonstrations and appeal to youths to keep off,” Mwenda said.
He maintained that the controversial Finance Bill is not discussed at the county level and it is not right to direct anger to the wrong institutions or individuals just for political reasons.
“If youths or any other county resident has concerns with the county government, they should use the various established channels such as the county assembly to address them,” he added.
Betty Karimi, a youth leader from Mara constituency, said county government buildings are public property and destroying them is a direct loss to the people and not the leaders.
Karimi warned that demonstrations cannot go on forever and if they are to continue, they must be addressing genuine issues and not politically motivated.
“It is wrong to divert the poor youths from the right direction to the wrong course. We are not ready to be misused by the same politicians who have been taking advantage of our joblessness and poverty. They must keep off,” Karimi said.
She noted that the Members of the County Assembly who are inciting the youths to cause chaos have never addressed the concerns on the floor of the assembly to hold the relevant department accountable.
Francis Mukundi, another Tharaka constituency youth leader, wondered why the planned demonstrations targeted county government offices and not those of the MPs who voted in favor of the dropped Finance Bill.
“Youths should direct their anger to the three MPs who voted in favor of the dropped Finance Bill and not county government which is not involved at all,” Mukundi said.
