If you’ve seen images or headlines about massive youth-led protests in Kenya and wondered, “Why is this happening?” you’re not alone. For anyone new to Kenya’s history, the recent Gen Z uprising might seem sudden or confusing. But in reality, what’s happening today is part of a much longer, ongoing story—a struggle over change that runs deep in Kenya’s past.
The Struggle Between Change and the Status Quo
At the heart of Kenya’s unrest is a classic tension: the push for change versus the desire to preserve the status quo. Philosophers call this a dialectic—a back-and-forth between different forces that ultimately drives progress. In any society, when one group finds comfort or advantage in the way things are, they often resist new ideas or reforms. But those who feel excluded, oppressed, or eager for a better future become the agents of change.
Kenya’s History: A Tradition of Resistance
Kenya’s journey since 1895 has been defined by these struggles. Armed resistance and calls for justice have emerged every time ordinary people felt the existing system failed them.
- Mekatilili wa Menza led protests against colonial policies on the coast, demanding dignity for her community.
- Koitalel Arap Samoei inspired resistance among the Nandi against British land seizures and exploitation.
- The Mau Mau movement in the 1950s saw people from across central Kenya rise up against colonial rule, risking everything for land, rights, and self-determination.
Every era had its “agents of change”—leaders and ordinary citizens who stood up, often at great personal risk, to demand a new path forward. And in each case, those in power tried to resist or suppress this change to protect their own interests.
Why Is Gen Z in the Streets Today?
Fast forward to today. Kenya’s Generation Z, the young people born since the late 1990s, are facing their own set of challenges: unemployment, rising living costs, and a sense that the government is out of touch with their reality. When new tax laws and economic policies threatened to make life even harder, Gen Z took action. What makes this movement unique is how it has harnessed social media, digital tools, and youth networks to organize quickly and powerfully—without waiting for traditional leaders.
On June 25th, 2024, the world saw Kenya’s young people take to the streets, demanding accountability, fairness, and a future where their voices matter. They are following a tradition set by generations before them, but doing it in their own, digital-savvy way.
Making an year since last year protest this yera june protest pushed for justice for the victims of police brutality as well as the other issues of justice and accauntability. this have turned the cycle repetitive and even just a few days after the june 25th aniversary the genz movement had called for sabasaba as yet another protest since its now common that every protest ends in losts lives.
Why Does This Cycle Keep Happening?
The answer is both simple and complex. Change always disrupts someone’s comfort. Those who benefit from the current system will resist, often forcefully. But history shows that this resistance can only delay, not prevent, the larger movement towards justice and progress. In Kenya, as in many countries, the real story is about ordinary people insisting on a better deal, refusing to settle for empty promises.\