President William Ruto, without evidence accused the Ford Foundation, an American private foundation, of sponsoring the anti-government protests in Kenya.
There was no immediate comment from the organization but an official within termed the claims lies.
Speaking in Nakuru on Monday, Ruto claimed that the Foundation hired goons to cause mayhem during the protests, which led to the destruction of property and looting of businesses.
“I want to ask Ford Foundation to explan why they gave out mobey to cause violence. Why?” he asked.
“We are going to call them out and we are going to tell them if they are not interested in democracy in Kenya, if they are going to sponsor violence and anarchy we are going to call them out and we are going to tell them they either style up or they leave.”
He said that his government will not spare anyone bankrolling young Kenyans to cause mayhem in the streets during peaceful protests.
“We have no use for anarchy and destruction of property.
Those sponsoring that violence, we know you and I want to call out those who are behind the anarchy in Kenya, those behind sponsoring the chaos in Kenya, shame on them,” said Ruto.
Minutes later after his public engagement President Ruto took to his X account reiterating his claims, calling out the Foundation to clear the air on the matter and rebut the allegations.
“Our youth are not available for retrogressive assignments.
Those sponsoring them to cause violence and mayhem must be ashamed of themselves.
We ask the Ford Foundation to explain to Kenyans its role in the recent protests,” he wrote.
“We will call out all those who are bent on rolling back our hard-won democracy.”
Ruto has previously anchored his ridicule at the violence experienced during the three-week long protests on sponsors who he says have been hiring goons to tarnish the peaceful demonstrations.
He has firmly expressed his conviction that the destruction of the state’s critical infrastructures including Parliament was done by the hired young goons whom he has termed as criminal.
Ford Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), was founded in 1963 by Edsel Ford the president of the Ford Motor Company to administer charitable funds for scientific and educational purposes.
The philanthropic organisation has grown to be a powerful humanitarian institution basing its operations in 11 regions across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America.
In East Africa they have been in partnership with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania advocating for civic justice to protect social justice activists, having disbursed over Ksh.138 billion ($10.7 million) from 2009.
An official at the organization termed Ruto’s remarks unfortunate.
He explained Ruto is being misled.
What started as anger on TikTok about the controversial finance bill has morphed into a revolt – without being organised by political parties.
This has prompted government machineries to imagine there is a sponsor.
Hundreds of trainer-wearing protesters, who feel Kenyans are already overtaxed with little to show for it, have braved tear gas lobbed by police to march through major towns affecting operations.
Armed with their smartphones, they live-streamed the intense confrontations with officers.
The youthful demonstrators, popularly referred to as Gen Zs – in reference to the term generally used to describe those born during the late 1990s and early 2000s – showed up in huge numbers, vowing to ensure that their discontent did not end with just a hashtag or meme.
Many of them were demonstrating for the first time and waved signs such as “Do Not Force The Taxes On Us” , while others chanted: “Ruto must go”.
The hashtags used to pressure MPs and rally protesters were “#OccupyParliament” and “#RejectFinanceBill2024”.
Those who did not make it to the streets helped spread the word by sharing messages, pictures and videos on social media.
As the protest lacked any clear leadership, the police have found it hard to target those behind it.
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