Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has issued a call to young Africans to take up leadership responsibility immediately.
Speaking during the IGAD Leadership Academy (ILA) Annual Alumni Conference on Tuesday, December 16, he challenged the long-held notion that young people are 'leaders of tomorrow.'
Uhuru warned that such thinking encourages hesitation at a time when Africa urgently needs bold, values-driven leadership
He reminded delegates that Kenya’s early political trailblazers, including Tom Mboya and Kenneth Matiba, began influencing national direction in their twenties, underscoring that age has never been a barrier to impact or transformation..
"If you continue believing you are the leaders of tomorrow, that tomorrow will never come. You are the leaders of today. Your ideas, your courage, your personal commitment will shape the future of Africa," he said.
Read More
Notably, earlier in the year, Uhuru called on Gen Z to stand firm in the fight for their rights.
Speaking during the memorial of Kibathi Muigai on Friday, January 17, Uhuru asked the younger generations to never allow anyone to take away what they have worked for.
"The GenZs are the story of the future; fight for your rights, don't just stay there while people are taking away what's yours. Don't allow anyone to take away what's yours, you have worked for it, so make sure you keep what's yours.
"Everything is worth a fight for, if it's taken away let no one complain. Stand for what's yours. We are behind you," he said.
In the wake of his remarks, leaders within the Kenya Kwanza administration, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen hit out at Uhuru.
While speaking in Machakos, he accused Uhuru of inciting the youth for selfish gains, arguing that the former president was not best placed to lecture others on governance
Murkomen stated that Uhuru's tenure as president was not the best for him to feel he is qualified and clean to advise on matters of governance.
"He was the president the other day; the ink he used to sign decisions with has not even dried. Suddenly has become very clever and an angel. He is now the one to lecture us and ask the youth to demonstrate, yet he was the president just recently.
"This exploitation of our young people is not right. I want to ask leaders across the political divide: this is not an issue of political gain, but an issue we must all act responsibly," he said.
Similarly, Belgut MP Nelson Koech also dismissed Uhuru’s recent calls to the youth, questioning the former president’s track record during his own time in power.
"This is not the first time Uhuru is urging the youth to stand up for themselves. He actually did it immediately after the GenZ protests, and it is not genuine because as a former head of state we should evaluate and look at his past; did he give space to the young people to thrive during his tenure? He did not," he added.
