Kibwana to Ruto: Why apologise to Gen Z then arrest Finance Bill 2025 critic Rose Njeri?
Former Makueni Governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana has sharply criticised President William Ruto following the arrest of Rose Njeri, a vocal critic of the Finance Bill 2025, just days after the head of state publicly apologised to Kenyan youth.
In a pointed statement posted on X on Saturday, May 31, 2025, Kibwana questioned the sincerity of the president’s recent overture to Gen Z Kenyans.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF AN APOLOGY TO GEN Zs TODAY AND AN ARREST OF ROSE NJERI LITERALLY THE NEXT DAY FOR PROMOTING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION UNDER ARTICLES 1, 201(a),10, 69, 118, 196 of Constitution 2010 and in other laws eg Public Finance Management Act, County Govts Act etc,” Kibwana wrote.
Njeri, a civic activist, had launched a website titled “Objection to the Finance Bill 2025 (National Assembly Bills No. 19 of 2025),” which encouraged citizens to submit formal objections and feedback directly to government institutions as part of the public participation process mandated by Kenya’s Constitution.
Her arrest by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday, May 30, 2025, triggered a social media storm and prompted swift intervention from the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
LSK President Faith Odhiambo said in a statement on Saturday that the organisation had received several distress calls from members of the public who witnessed the incident.
She noted that the society immediately formed a legal team to trace Njeri’s whereabouts and secure her release.
Odhiambo further stated that the search was hindered by deliberate obstruction from law enforcement.
“The officers who arrested Njeri deliberately obstructed her access to legal counsel, making it extremely difficult for her to be located,” she said. It was not until around 8 pm on Friday that the LSK confirmed Njeri was being held at Pangani Police Station in Nairobi.
Just two days earlier, on May 28, 2025, during the National Prayer Breakfast held at Nairobi’s Safari Park Hotel, President Ruto had offered what was widely seen as a conciliatory message to the country’s youth.
“To our children, if there is any misstep, we apologise,” Ruto said.
However, opposition leaders and civil society groups dismissed the president’s statement as hollow.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP-Kenya’s Eugine Wamalwa both criticised the address, calling it insincere and devoid of tangible commitments, such as compensating victims’ families or prosecuting officials behind abductions and use of force during last year’s protests.
Gen Z-led demonstrations in mid-last year nearly toppled Ruto’s administration, with widespread unrest culminating in the storming and burning of Parliament on June 24, 2024.
The violent backlash forced the government to withdraw Finance Bill 2024, which had proposed sweeping tax hikes.
In a rare concession speech, Ruto acknowledged the public’s vehement rejection of the bill.
“I concede. It is clear that Kenyans want nothing to do with this bill. I will not sign it into law,” Ruto said in a televised address.
The arrest of Njeri, seen by many as an advocate for constitutional rights and civic engagement, has now reignited scrutiny over the government’s commitment to democratic principles, particularly the right to public participation enshrined in Kenya’s 2010 Constitution.
For critics like Kibwana, the timing of Njeri’s arrest, just days after Ruto’s apology, raises more questions than it answers.
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Martin Oduor
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