Gen Z against a corrupt political caste

It started harmlessly, on social media, with a few young people who were upset about new taxes that the government was planning. #Rejectfinancebill2024 was the hashtag. Kenyan politicians made fun of it: spoiled Gen Z, they said, don’t want to pay taxes and make a little noise on Tiktok. That would be the end of it.

It didn’t end there. Almost two weeks later, tens of thousands of people, often very young, took to the streets in all parts of Kenya. In the center of the capital Nairobi, demonstrators overpowered the police and stormed the parliament. According to figures from the Kenyan Medical Association, the police shot dead more than 20 demonstrators.

The government first showed its tough side: it sent in the military. The next day it gave in. It withdrew the tax package.

The “Gen Z revolution” in Kenya, as some call it, is powerful. It is powerful because it is not about a few TikTokers who don’t want to pay taxes. It is about an entire generation that is extremely angry at a caste of politicians who treat them with disdain and contempt. This anger has not dissipated even after the government’s concessions. The protests will continue.

It’s about more than taxes

Kenya is an African country with a relatively functioning democracy. And yet Kenya is governed by a political caste that is corrupt and sees politics as a means of acquiring land, real estate or other economic privileges. The DNA of the colonial state, which was designed to transport the country’s resources and squeeze its inhabitants, still survives in the Kenyan state. While President William Ruto’s government has imposed a series of new taxes on the 55 million Kenyans since 2022, it has been responsible for several corruption scandals. The American government complained a few months ago that it had become difficult for American companies to invest in Kenya because the authorities were aggressively demanding bribes.

Many demonstrators in Nairobi said on Tuesday, amid clouds of tear gas, that they were not concerned about taxes. They were prepared to contribute to a functioning state. But why should they pay more and more taxes for a state that is irresponsible with its money? That increases the price of everyday goods such as bread and tampons, only to then provide the offices of the wives of the president and vice president with princely budgets? A state that allows President Ruto to hire a private jet to travel to the USA on a state visit with an oversized entourage?

The demonstrators in Kenya do not see themselves as refusers. They see themselves as patriots. Many brought the country’s flag with them. They sang the national anthem.

A new generation not because of social media

And it is indeed a new generation. Most of them are demonstrating for the first time; they are in their early 20s or younger. They are no different from previous generations in that they use social media. Demonstrators did this during the Arab Spring. The current protesters are even more sophisticated in their use of social media; they hold online discussions with thousands of participants, they mobilize money for the treatment of injured demonstrators, they use apps that help them orient themselves in the crowd.

But they are a new generation of protesters because most of them are educated and belong to the middle class. Many of those taking part in the protests are university graduates. They cannot find permanent jobs because the government is unable to transform the economy so that it becomes less dependent on state funds and clientele systems. In Kenya, millions of young people are self-made entrepreneurs out of necessity. And now they are activists.

And because the demonstrators are more educated than previous generations, they are harder to manipulate. For example, along ethnic lines, as was always the case in Kenyan politics. “We are not here for our ethnicity, we are here for our rights,” said one demonstrator on Tuesday. He spoke for many.

This generation numbers millions. The median age in Kenya is under 20. The generation taking part in the protests is the one most affected by unemployment. It is growing and is an excellent enemy for the political caste because young people are fearless and have little to lose. The situation is similar in many places in Africa, the world’s youngest continent. Millions of young people are ruled by geronto- and kleptocrats who cling to office and the money that goes with it. It would be no surprise if Kenya’s protests spread to other countries.