Following few weeks of protests against the government, young people are gradually revealing actions President William Ruto can take to rebuild their trust. On Monday, youth from the Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP) presented an accountability checklist outlining their expectations.
Led by James Koech, the GTAP youth emphasized the need for a Cabinet reshuffle, criticizing some members for underperformance and corruption. They also called for reducing the bloated Cabinet from 21 to 15 members.
The youth urged President Ruto to revise controversial policies, enhance transparency, and initiate genuine national dialogues. They stressed the importance of strengthening judicial independence, implementing institutional reforms, launching targeted economic initiatives, and fostering cultural change within the government.
GTAP demanded the establishment of a transparent online portal for real-time tracking of government budgets and expenditures, along with bi-annual public accountability forums in each county.
Key expectations included increasing public healthcare and education funding by at least 15%, recruiting an additional 10,000 teachers and healthcare professionals, and reducing high-earning government officials’ salaries by 20%.
The youth also called for forming a commission to investigate economic disparities, reinstating the national school feeding program, and implementing budget cuts to reduce non-essential government spending by 30%.
The Finance Bill 2024, considered punitive by many, has strained the relationship between Ruto, lawmakers, and the youth, leading to public apologies from some officials.
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/102472-reshuffle-cabinet-gen-zs-offer-ruto-8-solutions-rebuild-trust