Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu has accused political leaders of attempting to turn last week's June 25 memorial demonstrations into a political campaign against President William Ruto, arguing that the events lacked the clear signs of a genuine youth-led movement.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Nyamu said she fully understood the desire by young people to honour those who died during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, but maintained that politicians had tried to take advantage of the occasion for their own interests.
"You see that my post is very clear. I'm talking to politicians, not the young people who wanted to commemorate the loss of lives that happened during the protest in 2024 Finance Bill," she said.
The senator said authentic youth movements are easy to identify because they are driven openly by young people themselves rather than by political figures operating behind the scenes.
According to her, youth-led campaigns are largely organised through social media and gain support naturally without financial incentives or secret mobilisation efforts.
"When the youth own a process, we know it. The mobilisation is on social media. It is not hush-hush, it's not calls, it's not 500 shillings per youth, it is authentic," she said.
Nyamu pointed to the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations as an example of what she considers a genuine movement initiated and driven by young people across the country.
"We saw it. We saw the mobilisation. It was youth-led," she said.
She argued that the demonstrations held last Thursday failed to attract the same level of support because they were not being led by the youth themselves.
"What they wanted to do on Thursday last week, which flopped badly, is hijack the process and use it politically against President William Ruto," she said.
Nyamu also took issue with opposition politicians, accusing them of exploiting families who lost relatives during previous protests in order to advance political narratives.
"They actually went and got the parents of the young men who have lost their lives... feigning sadness, these are political theatrics," she said.
At the same time, the senator defended President Ruto, saying the Head of State was focused on delivering development projects rather than seeking approval from the public.
"He said it clearly, he doesn't want to be popular; this is no time to be popular," she said, referring to discussions involving lawmakers and the President.
The June 25 Gen Z memorial processions were held to mark one year since the anti-Finance Bill protests that shook the country in 2024. The commemorative events were accompanied by a heavy police presence, roadblocks and arrests in several parts of the country.
Reports showed that police arrested 355 people during the demonstrations held across different regions, while activists and human rights groups raised concerns over restrictions imposed during the operations and alleged violations by security officers.