Bunge La Mwananchi Gaucho argued that the planned Finance Bill 2023 be approved by Parliament in order to teach Kenyans a lesson.
On Wednesday, June 7, Calvin Okoth, popularly known as Gaucho and serving as the President of Bunge La Mwananchi, expressed his willingness to meet with President William Ruto in order to address the concerns of underprivileged youth.
During an interview, Gaucho refuted claims of being a member of the Azimio la Umoja Coalition, despite actively participating in demonstrations and protests organized by the coalition's leader, Raila Odinga. He also distanced himself from the Kenya Kwanza Coalition, stating that his primary role is as a leader for vulnerable and young individuals.
The outspoken kid claimed that although he never officially joined the coalition, he collaborated with the Raila-led group because he thought the two had similar goals for Kenyans.
"When he (President Ruto) calls me, I will meet him because the Azimio leader is Raila Odinga. I am just the ghetto president and I represent the people living in the slums. I am neither in Kenya Kwanza nor Azimio," he stated.
Gaucho said that Ruto had to fulfil a number of requirements before agreeing to meet with him, having learned from other leaders who lost their jobs as a result of becoming friendly with politicians.
In order to avoid controversies, he required that the meeting be made public. He also demanded that the Head of State guarantee that he would not be used as a political gimmick.
"As long as he does not use the meeting for publicity like he has done with other politicians in the past, I will have no problem.
"If he calls me, it should be something very open to the public because the people he surrounds himself with are very controversial," he explained.
The youth leader said he had some challenging questions for the president regarding issues like employment and taxation that pertain to the welfare of young people.
However, he wouldn't be able to do so unless the president gave him the freedom to disagree with his choices rather than pressuring him to back the administration.
"He should give me room to criticize his work and not ask me to support him politically. I want to know why our people in the slums are still suffering and why the youth are not employed," he stated.
He contends that only by suffering the severe repercussions of their voting decisions will Kenyans be forced to change.
"Azimio leaders are against the bill, but I support it fully. When Kenyans suffer as a result of the bill, they will learn not to make the same mistake next time during elections.
"Kenyans accepted Ruto because he was a man of God and a prophet. Why would they reject his ideas now?
