President Ruto makes history of addressing his citizens through social media live

President Ruto makes history of addressing his citizens through social media live

President William Ruto is indeed making history by hosting his first-ever X-Space conversation with Kenyans today.

This event was specifically a target to Gen Zs who recently led countrywide protests against the Finance Bill 2024 and the government.

The president opted for the X app because many Kenyan youths have been actively engaging there through their plans for the ongoing protests.

Kenyans on X have been leading campaigns on making the anti-tax and antigovernmental protests trend.

X has also been used to air out Gen Zs demand to President Ruto regarding corruption in the government, besides other social media apps being used.

Following these protests, President Ruto declined to sign the Bill that had been passed by Parliament.

His daughter, Charlene Ruto, proudly called him 'The first-ever president in the world to hold an online meeting with all Gen Z' on her X platform.

 However, there were reports that some youths are planning to counter the President’s X-Space conversation with a parallel discussion on the same platform.

This is because the youths claim that they were the ones to host the president so that it could be easy for him to listen to them.

Many had alleged that those who would be selected to speak would have been acquaintances to the president only.

The X-Space conversation hosted by President William Ruto has had several implications for Kenyan politics:

By directly engaging with Gen Zs on X Spaces, President Ruto acknowledges the importance of youth voices.

The use of X Spaces represents a shift toward digital democracy since it has allowed citizens to interact with the President in real time, potentially influencing policy decisions and holding leaders accountable.

Hosting an online meeting demonstrates President Ruto’s willingness to adapt to modern communication channels.

Given the recent protests and counter-discussions on X Spaces, this event may also amplify existing political divisions.