Over the past two months, scores of Kenyan Gen-Zs have taken to the streets to protest against new laws that proposed to raise taxes.
Previously, the old guard have been the face of protests in Kenya as political leaders in the opposition have called for good governance, accountability or election disputes. The protests have tended to fall along tribal lines. To see such young faces calling for a better Kenya is a distinctive aspect of this year's protests.
Mass protests are not exactly new in Kenya, but the form and organisation of the #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests have had a major digital component as young people such activist Boniface Mwangi, gospel artists, comedian Eric Omondi and others have streamed live on social platforms such as TikTok and X asking fellow citizens to call for accountability from the leadership.
"What happened is historic in the history of our country. We have seen the young people come out to fight for their country, and they did so fearlessly," said Wanjira Wanjiru, a 25-year-old activist and co-founder of Mathare Social Justice Center, told Missing Perspectives.
Wanjiru has termed the Gen-Z protests as a resolve by the young people to reclaim people power and understanding of sovereignty of Kenyan people by an upcoming generation.
Unlike in the past, the Gen-Z protests were decentralised with no distinct leader. Born between 1997-2010, Gen- Z’s are characterised by digital prowess and social consciousness.
Young protestors developed a USSD code to guide people on where to meet and some basic rules of conduct to help ensure the success and peace of the protests.
They translated the finance bill into local languages and created images, videos and music that resonated with their message.
The protests erupted in 35 counties nationwide. The Gen-Z, a demographic cohort composed of thousands of tertiary-educated youth, including frustrated unemployed university graduates caught the political class flat footed.
They communicated and mobilized support in a way that set them apart from other political protests that were first planned in hotels and boardrooms by political leaders particularly in the opposition, and eventually led to dialogues to incorporate the opposition in the government.
Hashtags – such as #OccupyParliament and #RejectFinanceBill2024 trended on social media for weeks highlighting the power of digital activism that drew attention to their cause.
"It came from the understanding that there is absolutely no one to fight for us now. If we don't self-preserve as the youth, we're going to have difficult days coming," said Wanjiru.
The trigger for the protest was a proposed Finance Bill 2024, which proposed a new consumption tax on goods like pads, mobile money transfer fees, cancer treatment, bread, diapers and other proposals.
The bill was later withdrawn by president Ruto as a result of the protests. He declined to sign and sent back to parliament with instructions to delete all the clauses in the bill.
“We came out because of the oppression by the government. They keep increasing taxes but we cant see where these monies are going,” said Hannah Gathoni, a 21-year-old young Kenyan woman.
The proposed new taxes have not been well received by many Kenyans, particularly in a context of high youth unemployment.
In Kenya, for a proposed bill to be passed into law, the President must sign off on the bill. On June 26, 2024, President William Ruto declined to sign the finance bill saying that he had listened to the views of Kenyans, and that he would go by the wishes of the people.
“Listening keenly to the people of Kenya, who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this Finance Bill 2024, I concede and therefore I will not sign the 2024 Finance Bill and shall subsequently be withdrawn,” said President Ruto during a televised address from State House in Nairobi.
At the same time, President Ruto directed that further austerity measures be taken to reduce expenditure, starting with the Executive Office of the President and extending to the entire Executive.
On 5 July, Ruto also announced the dissolution of 47 state corporations with overlapping mandates within government departments, to mitigate public anger.
He has also cut advisors by 50 percent, imposed a freeze against new hires in the civil service, and abolished budgetary allocations of the office of the first lady and the spouse of the deputy president that had come under harsh scrutiny and criticism by Kenyans.
“I direct that operational expenditure in the Presidency be reduced to remove allocations for the confidential vote, reduce travel budget, hospitality and buying of vehicles, renovations and other expenditures,” the President said.
President Ruto also directed that Parliament, the Judiciary and county governments work with the National Treasury and undertake budget cuts to ensure that the government achieves what he has always advocated: Living within our means.
“As we hold this important conversation, I remind us that we should proceed within the foundational principles upon which our nation is founded: Constitutionalism, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for constitutional institutions,” the President said.
But the president’s moves are arguably a Band-Aid solution, as the anti-government protests brought to the surface other grievances surrounding unemployment, government corruption, and the high cost of living
The rejected bill has since become a flashpoint in the clamour for ongoing radical economic and political reforms in Kenya.
It opened the floodgates for criticism of President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza regime that campaigned on a platform known as the ‘Hustler Movement’ that would liberate Kenya from economic pressure, provide jobs and improve people’s lives through the “Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda.”
According to the Kenya Human Rights Commission, at least 50 people have died as a result of excessive use of power by police officers, about 66 protestors have been reported as missing, and other protestors sustained injuries.
More to come.