During my vacation, I witnessed a country gripped by tension as a new force emerged in Kenya’s political and economic landscape. This force, composed of a well-informed and politically unaligned youth, challenged the status quo. These young Kenyans, who abstain from traditional political clans and leaders, describe themselves as leaderless and fearless. They believe that protests are their path to freedom. Despite their youth, they exhibit a high level of social consciousness, critical thinking, and technological savvy. They are aware that article 37 of the Kenyan Constitution provides every person the right, peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities.
Their dissent was visible on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, X Space (twitter), and Facebook, where their messages quickly went viral. This online activism soon translated into peaceful street protests, as these young citizens voiced their opposition to what they perceived as a government not listening to its people. Their organized and informed approach signals a significant shift in Kenya’s political dynamics.
It’s important to recognize that protests against the government are not new in Kenya’s history. The current wave of demonstrations is not solely about the Finance Bill 2024. The bill simply triggered widespread dissatisfaction, particularly among the younger generation. In one of the local dailies, a historian Macharia Munene highlights key historical protests, such as the 1922 Harry Thuku confrontation at Kingsway Police Station now Central Police Station, which resulted from the police killing demonstrators led by Muthoni Nyanjiru which sparked a series of political demonstrations to continue throughout the years, including the notable Saba Saba (7th of July) protests at Kamukunji in 1990, despite the detention of their leaders.
The political class in Kenya is notorious for using demonstrations for political gain, often resulting in deals like the famous “nusu mkate” (half a loaf), handshake and now the broad-based government of national unity, which typically leave the public feeling neglected for the remainder of the electoral term. Initially, the recent protests were peaceful, aiming to resist and suppress the Finance Bill 2024. Social media became a powerful tool for Generation Z and Millennial to organize and mobilize for change until the whole activity was hijacked by the political class riding on the GenZ’s agenda and then goons who resorted to harming the peaceful protestors and even breaking into properties and investments of the business community with the aim of soiling the protests to look like a criminal activity organized by a group of people who wanted to overthrow the government.
These young Kenyans felt their voices had been ignored for too long, and they demanded action on critical issues such as corruption and opulence in the government, nepotism in employment opportunities, bad governance, mismanaged healthcare, punitive taxes measures, high unsustainable debt, arrogance by government officials, enforcement of court orders, and lowering the cost of living. They also called for improved education standards.
Civil societies, including the Kenya Law Society and religious leaders from the National Council of Churches (NCCK) and the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), condemned the government’s violent response to the protests. Despite this, police brutality has been a significant issue, with reports of officers deploying tear gas canisters even within church compounds. All Saints Provost Canon Evans Omollo and Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, have called for justice and peace, urging Christians and Catholics not to disconnect from current events.
State-planned abductions, detentions, and killings have only fueled the public’s anger and fear. The President’s olive branch has been dismissed due to a perceived lack of trust and understanding of the people’s needs. This new generation is calling for substantial changes. They criticize the president’s communication team for being out of touch and advocate for a generational shift in leadership.
For Kenya to return to normalcy, the president must practice active listening and prioritize the people’s best interests which he has shown through his willingness to listen and even went the extra mile to fire his entire cabinet after weeks of protests against his government led by the youth, many of them GenZ. Only the deputy president who is elected and the Prime Cabinet Secretary survived. According to him, he made the decision after a “reflection, listening to Kenyans, and a holistic appraisal of the performance” of his cabinet.
Kenya needs to heal and return to its feet again. The Protestors should tone down and accept to dialogue with the government because the President has asked the stakeholders to show up on the negotiating table to address critical issues raised by the GenZs. Local leaders should abandon their selfish pursuits and focus on the well-being of the citizens they serve.
Geoffrey Obatsa,
Administrative Assistant, JHIA
