Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has urged protesting youth to avoid any attempt to storm the State House, warning that such actions could lead to unnecessary deaths and derail the push for change.

Speaking during a live television interview on Thursday morning, Omtatah said that while the frustrations behind the ongoing protests are valid, violence and confrontations will only result in more pain and no justice.

“I was against the march to State House because I knew people would get killed,” Omtatah said. “Kenyans must avoid an uprising, but instead channel their anger into a revolution via the ballot come 2027.”

His remarks come just a day after thousands of demonstrators, mostly young people, flooded major towns across the country in protest.

In Nairobi, the situation became tense when protesters attempted to approach key government installations, sparking clashes with police.

The demonstrations, held on June 25, drew support from various leaders, including Omtatah, who physically joined protestors on the streets to show solidarity.

A long-time activist and outspoken critic of government excesses, Omtatah warned that choosing confrontation over strategy would only delay justice for those already killed or harmed during the protests.

“We still do not have justice for those who were killed during the June 25 protests. Adding more deaths will not solve the crisis,” he said.

Omtatah acknowledged that the protests stem from real and deep-rooted frustrations over poor governance, lack of accountability, and the rising cost of living.

“Kenyans are on the streets because they want good governance,” he noted.

He praised the youth for organizing and sustaining peaceful protests across the country, but cautioned that real change would only come through focused political engagement and planning.

According to him, spontaneous uprisings risk being hijacked or descending into chaos, which could destroy the gains already made by the movement.

“Kenyans must realize that the power lies in their vote. If we want to fix this nation, we must do it by removing bad leaders through the ballot—not bullets,” Omtatah emphasized.

He added that any attempt to breach State House could have ended in tragedy, and warned that the country must avoid repeating the same mistakes.

“If people are shot, and those shooting run away, power can be taken in a chaotic manner,” he said. “You don’t know what will result; we could end up jumping from the frying pan into the fire.”

Instead, the Senator urged young people to move beyond protest and become active participants in shaping the country’s leadership through elections. He said the youth must not only vote, but also run for office and monitor every stage of the electoral process.

“We must manage this anger, this demand for good governance, in a clever way. Using the Constitution, we can engineer a revolution, and that revolution will have to begin with politics,” Omtatah said.

He called for a major voter registration campaign targeting the youth, saying this is the only way to shift power into the hands of those demanding accountability.

“People must be registered as voter. Once they are registered, we prepare for elections and monitor each one carefully,” he noted.

In his closing remarks, Omtatah raised concern over the integrity of past elections, and urged the youth to help verify the authenticity of all polling stations ahead of 2027.

“In every ward we should say: these are the polling stations gazetted, download the app, move around with the GPS and confirm they exist. Last time, we discovered a polling station allegedly located in a non-existent primary school. One even had just a gate, that’s it,” he added.

Omtatah received a warm welcome from the Gen Z protesters when he appeared on the streets. Many held his hand, expressing unity with his message. His presence boosted morale among the youth, who cheered him on as one of the few leaders who had stood by them.

He was not alone. Embakasi East legislator Babu Owino also joined the demonstrations in Nairobi’s Central Business District on Wednesday. His arrival sparked loud cheers and chants from hundreds of young protesters, some of whom lifted him shoulder-high in a wave of excitement and solidarity.