Kenyan President Ruto apologises to Tanzania, Uganda, Gen Zs

Nairobi. President William Ruto on Wednesday struck a reconciliatory tone, offering rare public apologies to Kenya’s youth and neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda.

Speaking during this year’s annual National Prayer Breakfast held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, he acknowledged the frustrations they have voiced over the past year, particularly in the wake of controversial government decisions and strained public discourse.

“To our children, if there has been any misstep on our part, we apologise. We want to build a relationship with you that will make our country great and move us forward,” he said.

The Head of State also extended apologies to neighbouring countries, coming days after Kenyan activists were tortured and deported. 

Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, activists Boniface Mwangi, Hanifa Adan and others had been deported from Tanzania.

Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire, who were already in the country, were detained Tanzanian authorities and dumped along the Kenyan border.

Karua has accused president Ruto of forging an unholy alliance with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni following crackdown on dissenters across the East African Community region.

But at Safari Park Hotel today, the Head of State moved to quell rising tensions, signaling a shift towards "humility and healing in leadership".

“To our neighbours in Tanzania, if we have wronged you in any way, we sincerely apologise. Please forgive us. To our brothers and sisters in Uganda, if we have done anything wrong to you, we ask for your forgiveness,” he said.

Kindiki to Gen Zs: Respect your elders

Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki echoed the sentiments shared earlier by keynote speaker Rickey Bolden and Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on the importance of mending broken relationships.

However, he stressed that the process of national healing must include honest, respectful conversations between generations, especially with young Kenyans who have often expressed frustration over exclusion, injustice, and disrespect.

“We need to treat our children respectfully. And where we have gone wrong, it’s not wrong to admit it and speak to it,” he said.

“We also respectfully request our children to respect authority, and agree to be mentored and supported — so that, mutually, even as we respect them and apologise when we are wrong, they too should respect older people.”

He reminded the youth that while education is important, life lessons often come from experience.

“There are things you may not learn in any college, but only in the school of life,” he said. “We want our young people to realise that we, the elders, also have a role in making their lives more powerful.”