Kenya’s President William Ruto has begun a historic public online forum with anti-tax protesters on social media platform X Spaces, saying he is there to listen.
His 31-year-old daughter Charlene Ruto billed it as “the first ever president in the world to hold an online meeting with all Gen Z”.
This is a reference to the young people behind the recent protests that have rocked her father’s presidency.
The demonstrations against his finance bill were organized via X Spaces, a feature that allows users to host live audio conversations with others on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
A section of Kenyans on X has vowed to boycott the president’s chat and has planned a parallel Space to counter the conversation.
They didn’t want him to host the debate, and so have control of who can speak, and also argue that Mr Ruto already knows their demands.
The president’s session started about 45 minutes late, seemingly beset by technical difficulties.
he outrage over the proposed tax increases forced President Ruto to say he would withdraw the legislation, which was intended to help reduce Kenya’s debt burden of over $80bn (£63bn).
A state-funded human rights commission estimates more than 40 people died during the protests, most on the day the bill was passed by MPs last week. The interior ministry says 25 protesters were killed.
The demonstrations have since morphed into calls for Mr Ruto’s resignation and demands that the security forces face justice over the killing of protesters.
Ahead of his X Space session, President Ruto delivered a national address on TV, promising a raft of spending cuts, saying they were needed because he had been forced to scrap his planned tax rises. These include:
President Ruto began his speech by expressing his condolences but said this “difficult time” was an opportunity for the country:
“We are finally having the right conversation, not about our tribes, or personalities, or political formations, but rather issues that affect each and every one of us: issues such as taxation, debt, the budget, corruption, the cost of living, unemployment, and opportunities for our young people.”
His X Space, dubbed #EngageThePresident, was due to last between 11:00 GMT and 14:00 GMT (14:00 to 17:00 local time).
His daughter Charlene had tweeted to publicize the three-hour opportunity to chat directly with the president.
“Young people, the chance of a lifetime awaits you,” she posted.
“I encourage you to use it wisely and engage constructively because you are the ones who will determine the continuity of such levels of discussion for your success.”
Some members of Mr Ruto’s cabinet are also present for the X Space conversation, which is yet to kick off in earnest.
