President William Ruto on Thursday, July 25 spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on phone.

According to the US Secretary of State’s office, their discussion centered on the Gen Z protests and the behavior of the police during these demonstrations.

The US official emphasized the necessity of upholding the right to protest as guaranteed by the Kenyan Constitution.

The US also commended President Ruto’s commitment to holding accountable officers who violated the law and used excessive force during the protests.

This call came shortly after the Kenyan government accused the Ford Foundation of funding the anti-government protests, a claim the foundation has denied.

“The Secretary underscored the importance of freedoms of assembly and expression as enshrined in Kenyan’s constitution, emphasized the vital role played by youth and civil society organizations in healthy democracies, and urged respect for their contributions to Kenya’s development,” a statement from Blinken’s office says.

“The Secretary commended President Ruto for his pledge of accountability for security forces allegedly involved in protest violence or responsible for disappearances and his commitment to direct police to refrain from using violence of any kind against protesters,” Blinken’s statement adds.

The Secretary also thanked President Ruto for Kenya’s contributions to the multinational security support mission to Haiti.  

He reiterated that the US stands with the Kenyan people as they build a more inclusive and prosperous Kenya.