Tomorrow’s Voices, Today: Gen Z Leaders Take the JKL Bench

This week Jeff handed the bench to Gen Z. Four young party officials from both sides of the political divide sat down for a debate that was loud, sharp and at times hard to keep in order: Nathaniel Mong'are, UDA's director of communication; Florence Ayoo Onyango, an ODM youth leader running for office in Siaya; Wanjiku Thiga, DCP's national youth leader; and 24-year-old Bennyhinn Walubengo, secretary general of the People's Party of Kenya.

Jeff opened with the public sparring between President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Mong'are defended the government, saying it inherited heavy debts and an empty treasury and has had to raise revenue to fund development, with a president who "is not resting." Walubengo and Thiga hit back hard over corruption, the economy and the deaths during the 2024 protests. Walubengo, who works as a motivational speaker, argued the presidency over-explains itself: "Whatever is powerful doesn't have to be explained."

Onyango, whose party is now in the broad-based arrangement, called the President a "workaholic" who cannot be perfect and was left a struggling economy. Pressed by Jeff on 25 June 2024, she said "it happened" and that the country must move forward with compensation. Thiga, who said she was once arrested and labelled a terrorist, replied that there can be no moving on without justice for the families.

Is the united opposition really united? "Very solid," said Thiga, naming Rigathi Gachagua as "the man for the job," while Mong'are questioned whether an impeached leader can lead a party at all. Thiga set out DCP's plan to "reset Kenya": managing the debt, cutting out middlemen in farming and making energy affordable enough to industrialise.

On the cost of living, Mong'are defended taxes as the alternative to borrowing, pointing to plans for 28,000 km of new tarmac roads and a fertiliser subsidy he credited with raising maize harvests from 44 million to 75 million bags. Walubengo said UDA speakers always come armed with the same three talking points, and pointed to Ndindi Nyoro's record in Kiharu as the People's Party's proof of concept. The two traded claims over how that record was funded, without settling it.

Jeff also asked Onyango about her own governor, Siaya's James Orengo, who has taken a different political path from ODM's leadership. Her answer was diplomatic, with an edge: "Let his track record speak for him."

The Magic Wall kept them busy. On affordable housing, Mong'are urged viewers to look up projects on Boma Yangu, while Walubengo asked why houses built on public land with public money are being sold. Asked whether ODM is still in opposition, Onyango was clear: "We are in the broad-based government." Walubengo, asked whether his party could be bought into a bigger coalition, laughed it off: "Does my suit look like it can be bought?"

In their closing words, Mong'are gave the President "an A or an A minus," Thiga urged young people to get their voter's cards and organise for 2027, and Walubengo called on his generation to build themselves before trying to build a government. Jeff had the last word. "Every vote counts," he said. "The future is now."

Continue with Part 2 on Citizen TV.