Energy CS's Call to End Protests Met with Fury from Motorists Association

The Motorists Association of Kenya has fired back at Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, dismissing his June 18 plea for youth to halt ongoing protests as "hollow" and "insulting" amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis.

Using a school electrification event in Kajiado East as a platform, the Energy CS attempted to cool national tempers by acknowledging the youth-led protests in Nairobi and across the country.

"You have made your point. We understand your anger," he said. Cautioning against further demonstrations, he urged young Kenyans not to misuse their constitutional freedoms to “advance a strange agenda.”

But his remarks sparked an immediate backlash from the Motorists Association, which issued a strongly worded statement on June 19, 2025, accusing the CS of gaslighting the public. 

“When a government’s top minister stands at a podium, dripping with false humility, and tells hungry, overtaxed youth to stop protesting… that is not leadership. It is a mockery,” the association captioned on their Facebook page.

The Association took direct aim at the persistently high cost of fuel and soaring electricity bills, both overseen under Wandayi’s docket.

Despite falling global oil prices, Kenyans continue to pay some of the highest rates in the region. Electricity costs, too, have surged, tightening the noose on households, traders, and manufacturers alike.

“Wandayi’s appeal that young people retreat from the streets comes as fuel remains painfully expensive… pushing families deeper into joblessness and poverty,” the statement read.

CS Wandayi also called on fellow leaders to “take care of the children of Kenya” and cautioned against involving youth in activities “detrimental to their welfare.”

But the Motorists Association countered that the real danger to Kenya’s youth lies not in protests, but in a government tone-deaf to their daily hardships.

They insist that the demonstrations must continue until real economic relief is delivered.

“Let no one be fooled by carefully scripted statements,” they stated. “This is not goodwill; it is the cold disdain of a political class that feeds off people’s sweat while pretending to wipe their tears.”

As discontent grows, it remains to be seen whether the government will match its promises with tangible policy shifts or continue to rely on rhetoric to pacify a restless nation.