Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament (MP) has lauded former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for his timely interventions during the 2024 anti-government protests that led to a breach of the Kenyan parliament on June 25, 2024.
In a statement on Monday, June 23, 2025, Kaluma stated that Odinga saved the country from goons who infiltrated the Gen Z protests in an attempt to overthrow the government.
“By saying, ‘stop my children’, Baba (Raila Odinga )saved Kenya from anarchists who had infiltrated the Gen Z action and were hiding behind our children to pursue unconstitutional overthrow of the government – and saved Kenya for our young people,” he stated.
In an interview at a local media house in March 2025, Odinga stated that his intervention saved President William Ruto from a coup.
He revealed that the deployment of the military during the anti-Finance Bill protests by Gen Z last year could have spiralled into a full-blown crisis, with the army potentially seizing power.
Raila’s intervention
He disclosed that he had to step in to prevent what he described as an imminent military takeover. He explained that the government’s decision to call in the military to quell the protests was a grave mistake that could have resulted in soldiers assuming control of the country’s leadership.
“If the military had taken over, then Ruto would not be in power today. Once soldiers leave the barracks, they never go back,” Odinga said.
Odinga emphasised that democratic processes should be the only way to change leadership and not through military intervention. He cautioned that allowing the military to get involved in civilian matters set a dangerous precedent that could destabilise the nation.
He further explained that his intervention helped de-escalate tensions and prevented the country from plunging into a constitutional crisis, as the protests had rapidly evolved into a wider rebellion against the government.
“The country was on the brink. If the protests had continued the way they were, the military would have taken over, and that would have been the end of civilian rule,” he added.
Odinga also dismissed claims that he betrayed the Gen Z protesters, asserting that he made efforts to involve youth leaders in discussions with President Ruto, but they were unwilling to engage. His priority, he said, was to first de-escalate the crisis before addressing the underlying issues.
This comes as opposition leaders and youth groups have vowed to return to the streets in honour of those who lost their lives during the 2024 demonstrations on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
While the opposition has declared the day a symbolic holiday, the government has remained silent.
