The Gen Z protests in Kenya have surprised many observers, both locally and in other countries on the African continent, but it is worth noting that mass protests in the country have become a daily occurrence since the 1990s.
However, they were mainly led by the opposition, religious leaders, students, and civil society during the fight for multiparty democracy and constitutional reforms.
The most memorable was the Saba Saba protests of July 7, 1990, which later escalated into continuous fighting, but never before had young people assumed sole, individual responsibility without the guidance of recognized political leaders who supported change, such as in the case of the current generational struggle. process. Z agitation.
Young digital enthusiasts have shocked the country over the past three weeks by taking matters into their own hands and calling for major governance reforms and an overhaul of the political order.
“Young people have decided to take care of the future of the country by forming a single constituency for protest, without being bound by politicians, political parties, and other party considerations, and we must allow them to take these seats,” says the general secretary of the 'ODM Edwin Sifuna.
In the 1980s and 1990s, young people, especially university students led by their leaders, played a significant role in the struggle for change, but these protests were largely overshadowed by the participation of politicians.
During the Saba Saba riots in 1990, senior politicians such as Masinde Muliro, together with Martin Shikuku and young politicians James Orengo, Gitobu Imanyara, and Paul Muite, led thousands of young people in a march through the city of Nairobi. They were demanding multi-party politics, justice, and an end to corruption. Other prominent figures such as Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia were arrested before the clashes, and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was banned from joining the protests.
Seasoned scholar, author, and journalist Barrack Muluka argues that while the issues raised by the current protesters and their predecessors remain largely the same, the process is now a grassroots youth uprising.
“The sensitive young generation that lives in the country today has decided to raise their voices to protest against those in power and they must be listened to,” says Muluka.
President William Ruto appears to have copied President Daniel Arap Moi's model because just like in 1999 when thugs called Jeshi la Mzee beat and injured protesters, it was also alleged that snipers who shot and injured, protesting representatives of Gen - Z
Pro-government politicians also reportedly employed youths with batons to attack peaceful protesters in Eldoret and other towns.
As with Saba Saba and other protests, including the numerous clashes that have broken out in the past over changes to the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC), police continue to attack thousands of protesters attempting to march toward Parliament and other institutions
"The president probably thinks that making small concessions here and there and making a few cabinet changes, as Moi did when he ousted Nicholas Biwott, will win over Gen Z. We wait to see if he will do the same with influential cabinet secretaries," Gen Z protesters Paul Njoroge Kinuthia said in X.
Shootings of innocent people caught in the crossfire of life-saving bullets are common, including the case of Pendo's young children, who died in the 2017 Kisumu riots after burying their heads in their mother's arms.
During the current Generation Z protests, it was also reported that police allegedly shot a child eight times in Rongai last week. However, the police have never killed so many people: 44 have so far been reported killed in the current clashes.