By Peter Mwibanda
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP).
In an ideal society, the state exists to protect its citizens and secure their dignity and welfare.
When the same state begins to abduct protesters, silence critics, and use violence to mask failure, it forfeits its legitimacy.
Kenya is witnessing a generational revolt. Thousands of young people are voicing frustration over unemployment, bad governance and a political culture steeped in corruption. But instead of listening, the government has answered with repression.
Night abductions, threats and intimidation are not displays of power — they are signs of fear. A leadership that suppresses dissent rather than confronting its own shortcomings has already lost its way.
It’s a cruel twist that the very youth blamed for chaos are also those most neglected by the system — locked out by broken schools, joblessness, and weak social protections. A state that attacks its own children to cling to power is not strong. It’s morally bankrupt.
History is clear: repression breeds resentment and when violence becomes the answer to calls for change, the state mirrors the same criminality it claims to fight.
This goes beyond law and order — it’s about vision. A government that sees no solution beyond teargas and bullets cannot claim to care about youth empowerment.
Real leadership listens. Real leadership reforms.
A criminal state won’t fix the youth crisis. It will only deepen it.
Kenya must choose a new path — one built on truth, compassion and bold reform — or risk betraying the very generation it claims to serve.
Ends.
