Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has dismissed President William Ruto’s recent apology to Kenyan youth, insisting that true remorse must come with action — specifically, compensation for victims of the 2024 anti-tax protests.
Speaking to Citizen TV on Thursday, Maanzo said the Finance Bill demonstrations led to the deaths and maiming of many young people, and the President’s words at Wednesday’s National Prayer Breakfast did not begin to address that pain.
“There are about 600 bodies at the City Mortuary of young people who were known from that time. If you go to Kenyatta Hospital, there are those who have spinal injuries and bullet wounds,” said Maanzo. “Those are the people the President should be apologizing to.”
‘Start With KNH and City Mortuary’
The senator urged President Ruto to forgo political tours and instead visit Kenyatta National Hospital and the City Mortuary to meet survivors and bereaved families.
“If I were the President, I would go to Kenyatta Hospital and apologize to those Gen Zs, settle their hospital bills, go to City Mortuary and mobilize the state machinery to help those parents whose children are still missing,” Maanzo said.
He was reacting to Ruto’s ongoing tour of Homa Bay County ahead of Sunday’s Madaraka Day celebrations at the Raila Odinga Stadium.
‘Talk to Rex Masai’s Mother’
Maanzo singled out the case of Rex Masai — a young protester allegedly shot dead by police — as symbolic of the government’s failure to offer justice or reconciliation.
“If someone seeks an apology, they should be forgiven by those who are offended — like Rex’s mother,” he said. “I don’t think an apology has been tendered to her. If you compensate them, you’re beginning to show reconciliation.”
President Ruto’s Call for a New Relationship
At the National Prayer Breakfast, Ruto acknowledged mistakes made by his administration and extended a public apology.
“To our children, if there is any misstep, we apologize. We want to build a relationship that will make our country great,” said the President.
However, critics like Maanzo argue that words must be followed by visible justice and reparations for protest victims and their families.
Unresolved Cases and Lingering Grief
To date, no police officer has been publicly held accountable for the deaths or injuries sustained during the protests, and investigations into enforced disappearances remain stalled.
Senator Maanzo concluded that unless President Ruto takes concrete steps, including financial reparations and public engagements with affected families, his apology will remain “empty and disconnected from reality.”
