Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion has told off critics of President Ruto that they should not be bitter and that his apology was voluntary to Gen Z.
Speaking in an interview on a local TV station on Thursday, May 29, 2025, Sossion urged the critics and leaders to embrace unity and focus on development.
Sossion said that Ruto’s public apology to Kenyan youth, particularly Generation Z, should not stir sharp responses across the country, dismissing it as insincere.
“Ruto’s apology was received with bitterness, yet he voluntarily came out to send a goodwill message to Gen Z,” Sossion said.
“It’s a moment that reflects both the depth of youth discontent and the political courage to face it.”
His utterances come barely a day after the Head of State offered an apology to the youthful Gen Z for missteps made by his regime.
Ruto to Gen Z
In a rare moment of contrition during a National Prayer address on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Ruto acknowledged the frustrations expressed by thousands of young Kenyans who took to the streets in recent anti-government protests.
The demonstrations, sparked by proposed tax hikes in the Finance Bill, were largely organised and led by Gen Z activists through social media platforms.
“I have heard you,” Ruto said. “I am sorry for the way the government has handled your concerns.”
In 2024, Gen Z spearheaded massive protests that culminated in the storming of Parliament, demanding radical reforms within the Kenya Kwanza administration.
They were also protesting the Finance Bill, 2024, which introduced a wave of additional taxes, claiming new levies were punitive.
In response, President Ruto later dissolved his Cabinet and formed a broad-based government that included opposition leaders to stabilise the country.
Since then, his administration has faced mounting pressure to meaningfully include youth in decision-making processes.
During the prayer breakfast, the President also urged Kenyans to live in harmony despite their political differences, emphasising the need to build a united and peaceful nation.
Quoting extensively from the Book of Psalms 133, Ruto said: “The Word of God tells us how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to live together in unity.”
“It is in God’s perfect will and plan for us to live together in unity — across political divides, across our communities, and across our religious differences,” he added, appealing to Kenyans to duel in peace.
