Kenyans Told to Avoid Protests, Lamu MP Ruweida
Lamu East MP Ruweida Obo (Photo By Fumo Mzalendo)
By Fumo Mzalendo
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Lamu East MP Ruweida Obo has asked Kenyans to engage in dialogue with its leadership and stop participating in further protests in a bid to prevent the country sliding into chaos.
The legislator, speaking in Lamu, said the anti-Finance Bill protests have been an eye opener to leadership and President signing the Bill was an indicator leadership did not turn a blind eye to its wananchi voice.
She admitted voting yes in Parliament, but had her own reasons for doing so as it anchored towards her constituency benefiting from Ksh50 million of the Last Mile Electricity connectivity project.
“The country’s leaders which include the executive and the legislature will now have to look for alternative solutions to enable the funding of critical development projects in roads and energy supply for areas that have long been marginalized like Lamu East,” she said.
According to her dialogue is the best route for enabling solutions to be reached rather than the endless engagement in protests which are likely to hamper country’s economic outlook.
“In counties particularly the coast, which are dependent on tourism as a major revenue earner stand to lose if we Kenyans and especially the younger generation (Gen Z) engage in endless protests which are likely to scare away tourists and lead to the loss of jobs across all sectors due to a countrywide shutdown.”
She struggled to explain why she had aligned herself with the Kenya Kwanza administration claiming that would give her the advantage to lobby for development funds and projects in Lamu East which lacked even an inch of tarmac road since independence.
Hashim Famau, a Kiunga resident, echoed her sentiments saying the youths need to exercise restraint to avoid the country descending into anarchy like some of the neighboring countries.
According to him sectors such as tourism were already taking a big hit with most tourists cancelling their hotel bookings across the coastal beach front from Vanga (Kwale) to Kiunga (Lamu).
He said that there was urgent need for youths to allow leaders exercise their mandate until the end of their five-year term and then, exercise their voting based on how their leaders scored on development card.
Ahmed Nyerere, a Mkomani ward resident, said the ongoing protests if allowed to continue would lead to anarchy and the decline of the country’s socio-economic development.
He asked Kenyans to allow dialogue to take place as fronted by President William Samoei Ruto so as to bring the country together instead of apart.
“Youths and especially the upcoming generation need to start exercising their displeasure more at the ballot rather than taking to the streets and disrupting normal businesses,” Tima Athman, a Faza ward resident said.
Apart from protests, she said there was need to engage in different aspects ailing the Kenyan society through elected leaders.
