Kenyan leaders, including President William Ruto, have been urged to apologise to Kenyan Gen Zs over alleged kidnappings, enforced disappearances, and killings witnessed last year.
Former NFL star and renowned American Pastor Rickey Allen Bolden challenged leaders from across the political divide to seek forgiveness from Kenya’s youth and build bridges.
While speaking during the National Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, May 28, Bolden stressed the need to repair the strained relationship between politicians and Gen Zs.
“I pray that leaders would apologise to Gen Z for the detainment & shutting down the internet. They respect you, but they don’t feel respected," Bolden stated.
“When we are talking about relationships, would it not be beautiful if leaders were to stand up and say to our Gen Zs we had you detained and we knew that had to be traumatising, and we are sorry,” he added.
Bolden noted that this would be critical, adding that Gen Zs were open to being a part of national decision-making but would demand respect and recognition.
This is especially after the Gen Z-led anti-Finance Bill protests of last year, where the youths took centre stage in challenging the status quo.
The protests, which morphed into a revolution clamouring for the removal of President William Ruto, saw the Gen Zs end up becoming victims of the dangerous skirmishes. However, even after the protests, the youths took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the government.
This saw some youths resort to creating AI images depicting Ruto in a manner that did not appease the Head of State and his allies. The aftermath of this saw some of the main culprits become victims of unlawful capture and enforced disappearances.
Despite being missing for several days, most of the abducted youth were released, but some became casualties as they were found deceased. This year, Ruto promised an end to the unlawful captures in the presence of Finnish President Alexander Stubb. This was seen as Ruto seemingly admitting to the alleged kidnappings despite previous instances where he refuted the claims.
Bolden, who was delivering his keynote address, is known for his compelling storytelling and messages of faith, leadership, and moral courage.
He is a former Miami Dolphins player whose promising NFL career was cut short by injury, later becoming a globally sought-after pastor based in Dallas, Texas.
During his career, Bolden played as an offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, where he transitioned from a tight end at Southern Methodist University (SMU) to an offensive lineman in the professional league.
