NAIROBI, Kenya- The energy and the bravery exhibited by the Kenyan Gen Z youthful population have encouraged others across the African continent.
Protests have broken out in Kenya during the past month. While the initial focus was on rejecting the country’s 2024 Finance Bill, the focus has now switched to issues including President William Ruto’s ouster, police brutality, corruption, and politicians’ broken promises and lifestyles.
Despite continuous demonstrations, President Ruto has tried to win over his detractors.
To simultaneously solve the nation’s debt crisis, the president has recommended cutting expenditures and taking on more debt to close the budget shortfall left by the withdrawal of planned tax increases.
President Ruto took it a step further on July 11 and dissolved his whole Cabinet, sparing only his deputy, the Prime Cabinet Secretary, who also happens to be the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs minister.
The protests have been unprecedented in their scope and direct impact and unique in that they have not been linked to any specific person, political party, or ethnic group.
How Kenyan Gen Zs organised anti-gov’t protests
Instead, a self-declared non-ethnic group of young or “Gen Z” organisers has planned the protests primarily online.
Inspired by Kenya’s recent protests, youths in Nigeria, Malawi, and Uganda are now also organising demonstrations against the mismanagement of their governments.
To subdue the protests, President Ruto also announced that a so-called national dialogue would begin on Monday to defuse tensions in the country.
Still, many are now also asking the Kenyan leader to step down and for an independent legal inquiry into alleged cases of corruption and killings.
These victories have inspired others across the continent to organise against perceived corruption, failing economies, and the mismanagement of government resources in their respective countries.
What is happening in Malawi
A youth-organised “national shutdown demonstration” in Malawi was initially planned for July 10 but was rescheduled because of exams.
One of the protest organisers, human rights activist Edward Kambanje, justifies the gathering by citing excessive taxes, high petrol costs, bad leadership, and an overbearing government.
“We aim to build a sustained movement that authorities can no longer ignore,” Kambanje told The Africa Report.
How is the situation in neighbouring Uganda
On July 23, young people in Uganda have organised a march to Parliament to express their disapproval of legislative and official corruption.
The demonstration was sparked by youth unemployment, financial troubles, corruption, and unfulfilled government promises, according to accountant Mukungu Patrick.
The protest’s organisers are aware that, in contrast to Kenya, their demonstration could not result in quick changes to the law, but they are nevertheless committed to starting small.
Why Zimbabwean and Nigerian Gen Zs are not being left behind
The Zimbabwean administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa is notorious for suppressing dissent, and there are reports that young people there are organising their protests.
Human rights expert Doug Coltart believes that “Mnangagwa’s regime has demonstrated itself to be impervious to grievances.”
He goes on to say: “But even the most hard-headed regimes can be forced to grant concessions with sustained, organised, and disciplined nonviolent action, as the Kenyan youth have shown.”
On social media, young Nigerians have begun posting banners advocating for an August “nationwide protest to defend Nigeria.”
They criticise the country with the largest population in Africa for alleged economic incompetence, corruption, and the rapidly rising cost of living.
How Gambian Gen Zs rattled Parliament
In a rare demonstration on July 9 in The Gambia, hundreds of demonstrators—mostly young people—marched to the Parliament to demand the repeal of legislation aimed at raising the pay of judges and members of Parliament during the small nation’s severe economic woes.
Despite the calm conclusion of the social media-organised demonstration, some worries may break out if Parliament approves the National Assembly Salaries and Pensions Bill and the Judicial Officers Bill.
After all, if everything goes according to plan, the protests will undoubtedly change people’s political calculations.
For example, citizens’ power is now quite apparent to Kenyans and close observers. They can overthrow a government if they choose.
