KENYA, Nairobi – Protests that seriously threaten President William Ruto’s leadership and the long-term sustainability of Kenya’s democratic institutions are currently rattling the country.
Following President Ruto’s historic state visit to the US to forge new diplomatic ties, non-violent protests in Kenya spearheaded by young people over a divisive tax bill have taken a tragic turn.
Members of Parliament advanced the contentious measure to the president’s signature stage on June 25, setting both the City Hall and the Parliament in Nairobi on fire.
The ongoing protests appear to be a replica of Saba Saba Day when widespread demonstrations broke out in the East African nation.
What happened on Saba Saba Day in Kenya
Kenyans marched in the streets on July 7, 1990, to demand free elections. Days before the protest, Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia, the lawmakers who had called for the demonstrations, were taken into custody.
Other planners of the event, including Njeru Gathangu, George Anyona, Raila Odinga, and others, were assaulted and imprisoned by then-president Daniel Moi.
While mass protests are not new to Kenya, the organisation of the #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests reveals a new method and platform for protesting—organisation, which gives Saba Saba new meaning in modern Kenya.
What President Ruto said about “Gen Z’s protests”
The campaign has earned the moniker “Gen Z’s protests” because young people drive the education, information-sharing, and live-streaming of the demonstrations and their demands.
“I am very proud of our young people,” said President Ruto, who praised the youth for bravely and non-tribally participating in national issues.
Kenya has a 12 pc unemployment rate, with 68 pc of the unemployed being young people, and a crisis in the cost of living brought on by high inflation rates.
The now aborted levies are part of a pattern in which elected politicians claim that tax increases will help Kenya’s financial crisis, but their supporters are penalised.
These policies disadvantage young people, who make up 75pc of the population according to the 2019 census.
How “Gen Z’s protests” are organised
Unlike the Saba Saba Day rally, the #RejectFinanceBill2024 movement on X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram has been instrumental in organising several nonviolent demonstrations in Nairobi.
The younger generation in Kenya is excited to contribute to the country’s economic expansion.
Still, there is a perception that these initiatives fall short of long-standing pledges to reduce government expenditure and lower living expenses.
Protesters have not forgotten President Ruto’s pledge during the campaign to create a “hustler nation.”
Why does Kenyan Gen Z refer to President Ruto as “Zakayo”
The young people in Kenya mockingly refer to the President him as Zakayo, a Biblical character, who was a tax collector and at one time had an encounter with Jesus Christ.
During his campaign, President Ruto presented himself as the champion of regular Kenyans—the hustlers.
His catchphrase has frequently left him open to criticism because it has produced no results and made life more costly for hustlers.
Nationwide demonstrations against tax increases have occurred since President Ruto was elected president in 2022.
23 Kenyans were killed in protests against the high cost of living in Kenya in July 2023, which opposition leader Raila Odinga organised.
Opposition leaders have led previous protests like Saba Saba and have tended to fall along tribal lines; however, the current protest differs because it is decentralised, has no distinct leader, and is led by young people.
