GUSII YOUTH RISE: LINDA MWANANCHI GROUP SPEAKS OUT AGAINST FUEL HIKE AND ECONOMIC STRAIN

As youth become increasingly politically aware, members of the Gusii Linda Mwananchi group met to voice their concerns over the current national leadership and strongly protest the recent fuel price hike, citing worsening economic conditions and a rising cost of living that continues to strain households across the country.

Speaking on behalf of the youth in the Gusii region, group member Fridah Onduso said young people have long been sidelined in political processes and used merely as symbolic participants.

“For a long time, we have been told to swallow the tranquilizing pill of gradualism—that gradually we will get leadership, gradually fuel prices will go down,” she said.

She further accused the government of failing to honour its promises, noting that recent fuel price adjustments have significantly increased transport costs, food prices, and overall living expenses across Kenya due to global oil market pressures and local economic conditions.

“It has never been this hard, and we are not going to condone it! A KSh 40 increase means cutting out the very people the government claims to represent from the economic processes of this country. We have people at the mama mboga level, we have parents working, and as youths, we feel deeply humiliated,” she added.

Onduso also lamented the lack of employment opportunities, pointing to ongoing youth unemployment challenges in the country, which continue to affect millions of young people despite repeated government pledges to create jobs. She warned that continued neglect could deepen frustration among the youth.

Another member, Charity Waweru (Gen Z Baddie), urged young people to become more politically organized and engaged.

“It is time for young people in this country to realize that the era of being leaderless is over, the era of being formless is over, and the era of being partyless is over,” she said. “It is now time to politically align themselves, choose a party, and choose a leader. The Linda Mwananchi movement is the only movement that truly recognizes young people.”