President William Ruto made a public appearance on Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to mark World Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day, just a day after Wednesday’s Gen Z protesters rocked Nairobi and other parts of the country.
The demonstration, marking the first anniversary of last year’s anti-Finance Bill protests, resulted in at least eight deaths and over 400 injuries, according to medical and human rights reports.
Amid this backdrop of unrest, the MSME event was organized by the State Department for MSME Development, celebrating the resilience and innovation of small businesses while directly addressing the economic fallout from the previous day’s chaos.
Principal Secretary for State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Susan Mang’eni detailed a newly established rapid response team to support affected microenterprises across the country. “Families dependent on these businesses now face uncertainty,” she observed, underscoring government efforts including fast-tracked business registration processes, collaboration with insurers, and promotion of digital payment solutions.
World MSME Day, KICC, Nairobi. https://t.co/MgRjQzJs3D
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) June 27, 2025
Thursday’s protests, spearheaded by Gen Z activists demanding accountability for those killed in last year’s protests and calling for Ruto’s resignation, saw police use tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition in Nairobi’s CBD.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported 16 deaths from gunshot wounds, including that of a secondary school student, with the death toll expected to rise. Demonstrators chanted “Ruto must go” and waved Kenyan flags, forcing businesses, banks, and markets to close down amid the unrest.
International observers have voiced concern over the government’s handling of the protests. The U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada released a joint statement urging respect for peaceful assembly and condemning reports of plainclothes officers and hired individuals disrupting protest activities.
Ruto’s appearance at the KICC is being viewed as a deliberate attempt to shift focus toward economic recovery, even as the country remains embroiled in political turmoil.
Critics, however, argue that the President’s performance is critical; they claim he has fallen short of fulfilling his 2022 campaign promises amid rising taxes, corruption, and what they describe as heavy-handed suppression of dissent.
With Gen Z activists already vowing further action, the MSME gathering may have highlighted government resilience, but it also comes at a deeply unsettled political juncture.
By K24 Digital