In the aftermath of deadly and violent protests on Saba Saba Day, with almost 40 dead and up to 130 injured according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, President William Ruto has proclaimed more than once that "Enough is Enough", while former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, his "partner in arms" in the broad based government, suggests a "National Intergenerational Conclave" as the latest dialogue brainwave to address ongoing national crisis. Of course, there is more that we have heard from the President, like the shocking, but widely-ridiculed, "shoot to maim" order as a modifier to his Security Minister's earlier "shoot to kill" one.
It is more than a footnote that Odinga has publicly expressed reservations with both orders. Then we have the wider "conspiracy cum sabotage" theory offered by Ruto against himself (for the "unfair" treatment accorded to him compared to previous Presidents) and against his administration (which several of his government nabobs and party apparatchiks loudly support). The fact of the matter is "Enough is Enough" is exactly what is driving public anger and protests. So, in a weirdly roundabout way, President Ruto and Gen Zs agree that enough is enough, just that there is a difference of opinion on what "enough" actually means.
The wider truth is the Ruto presidency is defining itself as a vicious cycle of protests-dialogue and uneasy calm-no reset-more protests. Think about 2023/4 and NADCO, then 2024/25, Broad-Based Government (BBG) and UDA-ODM MoU. And now we hear about 2025/26 Inter-Generational Dialogue. Whatever the cause or catalyst - political or governance-related - completing its term of office - actually getting to 2027 - is an existential struggle for this administration. No economy grows in these "stop-start" settings; no investment happens; no business thrives; no society can develop. Which is why "Enough is Enough" is probably the right theme for any dialogue if it is to happen. But it's not just this particular administration. In 2004, the Bomas constitutional conference was our moment to reset.
The failed referendum the following year - based on a mutilated version of the Bomas draft - left the NARC administration scrambling to form a Government of National Unity. We all know what happened later in 2007/8, the result of which was the Grand Coalition Government and Agenda Four on Long-Term Issues.
