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Gen Z’s fury: Political class must act fast
Protesters march along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi during anti-Finance Bill demos on June 25, 2024.
Close to a year since the deadly June 2024 anti-tax protests, animosity has been growing between the political elite and the youth—the Gen Z. What started as a spat on political priorities has boiled over into defiance, mistrust and in some cases, celebration of misfortunes befalling the political class and their families.
While such reactions may be morally questionable, they are rooted in a sense of betrayal, abandonment and unresolved trauma.
In June 2024, thousands of young Kenyans poured into the streets to oppose the Finance Bill 2024. These were not riots but peaceful demonstrations. The State responded with disproportionate force. Demonstrators were tear-gassed, beaten, abducted and, in tragic instances, killed.
To date, there has been no official acknowledgment, let alone justice, for those who lost their lives or were harmed. There has been no accountability. No words of comfort from the nation’s highest offices. Instead, we have had dismissive and callous remarks from politicians. One MP, notoriously quipped: “People die every day. We sympathise and move on.” This captured the coldness that the Gen Z has come to associate with the political class.
On social media and in informal conversations, young Kenyans have refused to sympathise when tragedy strikes a political figure or their kin. It is not because Gen Z have no heart, it is because they remember vividly that when they bled, the nation’s leaders looked the other way. They see no reason to extend empathy to those who denied them even the most basic recognition of their humanity.
The political class invited this backlash.
To repair this broken relationship, we must conduct a transparent, independent audit of the June 2024 protests. Families deserve answers. Survivors deserve recognition. Until that happens, the wounds will continue to fester and so will the rage.
We must also ask ourselves: Why is it that the youth no longer trust government institutions? What becomes of a nation whose youngest citizens see their leaders as enemies, not allies?
Kenya stands at a generational crossroads. The question is whether our leaders will have the humility to listen, the courage to act, and the wisdom to change course before it’s too late.
Arasa Makori, Kisii