Churches divided on youth-led anti-government protests

Churches in Nakuru have differed over the anti-government protests by Generation Z, set to hit their fourth week.

Pastor Mike Brawan of Metro Church said the country was between a rock and a hard place, and at the moment, only Gen Zs can save it.

He said the Gen Zs have changed the country noting that they have made President William Ruto humble himself to the point of joining social space to address them.

The pastor further said that even opposition has been swayed by the government, leaving the country with no one to defend it.

“The Gen Zs are the new opposition. I urge them to fire up and not relent until our cries are heard and action is taken,” said Brawan.

He condemned the church for giving politicians pulpit to spread lies, abuse each other and give empty promises. “As a church, we should be ashamed. We have failed because we were bribed to surrender our pulpits to leaders who have shown us they only care about themselves,” said Brawan.

In contrast, Bishop Geoffrey Buliba of the Christian Brotherhood Church said Gen Z should now allow the government to act.

He said some of the changes made in the Cabinet were pushed by Gen Z, meaning they have been listened to. “You cannot dismiss the entire Cabinet because some were good. Those who were not working were removed. They should be given time to see what they can deliver because a good thing takes time,” said Buliba.

He urged the youths to maintain peace during demonstrations and present their agendas peacefully without disrupting other Kenyans.

Kivumbini MCA Neto Sakwa said as Christians, they realized the Finance Bill was bad, and after its downfall, the Gen Zs should regroup and wait for action.

Hellen Luta, a leader in the church, said the protests were good, but once they escalated, businesses were affected as they were forced to close because of property destruction and looting.