Kakamega deputy governor Ayub Savula now wants the government to involve the youth in formulation of policy.
Savula said the uprising witnessed last week where youth, referred to as Gen Z, held protests against the controversial Finance Bill 2024/2025 was a pointer that young Kenyans can no longer be ignored.
“Let’s not ignore the young people of this nation. They feel no one cares about them and have lost hope. They are a ticking time bomb that has to be detonated before exploding,” he said.
The youthful population is simply asking to be heard and involved in governance, Savula added, saying they are getting hopeless.
The peaceful demonstrations took place on Thursday, as MPs debated the bill, sparking national concerns about Gen Z.
The youthful protests were organised and mobilised through social media platforms, without the involvement of politicians, unlike any seen in the country before.
They braved tear gas lobbed by police to disperse them and used smartphones to stream the protest, including confrontation between them and the officers.
Some were arrested, but those who were bailed out reportedly refused to leave police stations until the freedom of fellow protestors was secured.
Two people have died as a result and organisers have announced seven days of countrywide protests starting Tuesday.
They have also threatened to recall MPs who voted for the Bill during the first reading.
Savula asked leaders to make laws that will promote growth and address the problem of unemployment among young Kenyans.
“As leaders we need to give people hope. If you take your child to school from primary to university and then there is no job, you’ll not be giving them hope,” he said.
The deputy governor also spoke on education, saying leaders should start a national debate on how the country could offer free schooling from primary to secondary, so that learners only pay university fees through loans.
He added that bursaries should be scrapped because they "only benefit the rich", while deserving cases are left to struggle to educate their children in the hope that they will get jobs after school.
The deputy governor was speaking at the burial of Christopher Wamatsi in Mung’ang’a, East Wanga Ward, Mumias East Constituency.