Homa Bay Governor and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party national chairperson Gladys Wanga has claimed that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is taking advantage of the Gen Z protests to gain political power.

Speaking during an event at Asumbi National School in Rangwe Constituency, Governor Wanga argued that Gachagua is using the young people’s anger to help him get ahead in politics before the 2027 election.

According to Wanga, the former Deputy President is using these protests as a façade to destabilize the current government and seize power.

She emphasized that the protests that happened in Nairobi and other cities on June 25th were well planned and executed by Gachagua and other opposition leaders. 

“These protests are not just about youth frustrations. Gachagua is using the Gen Zs to try and get to power through the backdoor. If he wants to lead this country, he should wait for 2027 like everyone else,” she remarked. 

The June 25, 2025 protests were held as an anniversary to the last year’s Gen Z led uprising against the Finance Bill 2024. 

The protests were also further fueled by the death of Albert Ojwang’, a teacher and blogger in police custody and the police shooting of Boniface Kariuki, a hawker in Nairobi CBD. 

“Let no one pretend these protests are purely innocent. There are politicians hiding behind our youth, funding chaos, and trying to trigger a crisis,” she firmly declared.

She then stated that ODM is in favor of the broad-based government where all parties work together and will not tolerate anything that threatens the constitution.

Her sentiments were echoed by Rangwe MP Dr. Lilian Gogo, who cautioned politicians against taking advantage of young people for their political goals.

“Let our youth protest if they must but let them do it for real change, not to serve political interests of leaders hungry for power,” she added.