Youth mobilization in Kenya changes the way of doing politics
By Carlos under erro From Barcelona
What should be a demonstration to stop a tax reform became an order to the Government of William Ruto and, by extension, to the way of doing politics. Social networks and artificial intelligence open new paths to generation Z.
June 25, 2024 was the turning point of the last great citizen mobilization in Kenya. That day, the protests triggered by the Fiscal Law of the Government of William Ruto finished revealing a definitive change in the way of demonstrating and organizing the Kenyan youth. The participants in the march launched an ordinance: to be a crowd and occupy the streets more massively than in the previous days. The authorities decided to respond with special hardness. They thought that violence would stop the wave that was brewing. At least five people died from police shots, according to the Reuters agency, although other sources talked about 19 victims. The protesters broke the perimeter of the Parliament and broke into the building, where a bill should be voted that increased the price of basic products, from bread to compresses or diapers. And that day the energy of which Genz protests have been called.
On this occasion, protesters have embraced this label, an abbreviation of gene generation, because it is considered that the drivers and participants are between 18 and 35 years. However, it is not just an age strip, but about a socio -political context and life habits. And those are the ones who have moved to their form of answer. But these are not only the protests of the youth of the moment, but a way of living and participating in politics and also collective action, with very particular characteristics.
The disconnection of conventional political formations, including those of the opposition, and the leading role of the digital environment, which has clearly determined the way of organizing and moving from the participants in the protests are two of the keys to the phenomenon. Because of the relevance of these differences with previous processes, some analysts have talked about the beginning of a new era, knowing that, often, the news generate this sense of rupture and beginning.
“One of the differences in this mobilization,” explains Nerima Wako, “is not directed by politicians.” Wako is the director of Siasa Place, a Kenyan youth organization dedicated to promoting popular participation in democratic processes. «Many times, in previous protests, the opposition has been in front or in the center of the mobilization. This time there was no opposition leader, or a specific political leader. They were young middle citizens who said ‘enough’ and wanted a change, ”says this expert and activist.
Odinga’s exclusion
The previous great wave of protests in Kenya occurred in 2023. Raila odinga, the eternal opposition candidate of Orange Democratic Movement (MDG) and former prime minister, promoted a mobilization against the increase in basic products. On this occasion, however, the circumstances were very different, the protesters did not want acronyms or that they were related to the parties of institutional policy, which shows the loss of prestige of this form of participation among young people. In fact, on June 18, in the first bars of mobilization, Oppinga himself was pushed to declare himself outside the process. A very widespread video of a young Kenyan content creator exhorted him diplomatly not to try to instrumentalize the mobilization. “Please, don’t even go out,” the Tiktokera said.
The opposition leader hastened to respond through an X post: «Today I feel a very proud father! ¡Hongera healthy (a congratulation formula in Suajili) for the young woman and all those who bravely defended their rights! Participants in the mobilizations have not missed any occasion to remember their detachment from formal political parties. “We want to declare categorically that we are not supported by any politician, that we are not affiliated with any politician,” said Citizen TV video a young manifestor before explaining his requirement to withdraw the law. A symbolic sample of the originality of the claim emanated from one of the slogans: «Tribess, Partyless, Fearless»(‘Without tribalism, without matches, without fear’).
Internet, the tool
The importance of the digital environment has also caught attention, especially the media of the global north. The response of the authorities responded to the conventional pattern, but the manifestations were different. They fed from Reels (short videos) of Instagram, of Spaces (real -time audio conversations) of X and Videos of Tiktok, and made pedagogy through popular styles songs or chatbots fed by artificial intelligence tools. Perhaps, therefore, an internet interruption occurred during the mobilizations attributed to the authorities. The emersion of the Tiktok videos platform has been striking.
«Digital tools have been fundamental for mobilizations and have served as organization and amplification platforms. Social networks such as X, Instagram and Tiktok have allowed a rapid dissemination of information, real -time coordination of protests and greater reach to international audiences, ”explains Job Mwaura, a Kenyan researcher specialized in communication and technology who works at the South African University of Witwatersrand. Nerima Wako adds his direct experience: «I have been in Spaces of X where people shared phenomenal planning ideas without even knowing each other ». The activist also points out that the participation of the diaspora made debates 24 hours a day. Wako recalls the interest that Kenyan politicians have had in these spaces to transmit their message, which has made the country a pioneer in that aspect. Successively, tags like #rejectfinancebill2024 (‘Reject fiscal law 2024’), #occupyparliament (
«Tiktok has brought a fun way of participation in which people are sharing the information in a different way. They are translating their contents into local languages. They are using humor and memes to convey a very serious message, ”says Nerima Wako, who considers that these methods have already been incorporated into the political culture of the country. “These hilarious political satires and memes of young people who question the political alliances or the way in which the government is currently managed,” concludes the activist.
The networks have also fed an essential epic of the protest. With videos such as the protester with a stich pajamas – an animation character – that walks while inhaling the smoke of one of the tear gas grenades launched by the police; Those of the creators of recreational content who, suddenly, shared their participations in the demonstrations; Or those of the protester who holds the challenging look at an uncomfortable policeman while shouting: “I am here for Kenya, I am here for my people, I am here for your rights.”
Another organization
That digital dimension not only has to do with the tools, but also with the organizational logic itself. «The Z generation – explains Job Mwaura -, more digitally native than any previous one, is taking advantage of the technology in unprecedented forms. Its approach is less hierarchical, more decentralized and depends largely on viral contents to raise awareness and mobilize. Unlike traditional protests, which may have depended on organizational or older leadership structures, these movements are organic, arise from online debates and spread through viral labels and challenges.
The burst of June 25, 2024 was a starting point. On 26, a day after the assault on Parliament, President William Ruto condemned the drift of mobilizations, but announced the withdrawal of the proposal of fiscal law as a whole. Then came the dissolution of its cabinet to include opposition members and even the dismissal of police charges, but it was not enough. The proposal of fiscal law had been the trigger. Behind the mobilization was the high unemployment rate – which exceeds 60 % in some stripes -, economic inequalities or bad government, which is manifested in cases of corruption and poor management of public resources. “That has made many young people feel frustrated and desperate,” warns Nerima Wako, who also explains that mobilizations have maintained and extended to different cities.
Wako believes that this mobilization will trigger a renewal in political life: «If young people see other young people in the front line involving politics and if there are transparent, fair and credible systems, there will be many younger participating, because they want to have the power to commit. It is one of the best ways to attack apathy ». Meanwhile, Mwaura thinks of a longer mobilization cycle: «The sustained use of digital tools and the decentralization of these mobilizations suggest several trends. One, that the political commitment among young people remains high, oriented towards transparency and responsibility in governance. Another, that the success of the use of digital tools could lead to more structured uses of technology in civic commitment and innovations in digital democracy. And finally, that digital activism is reinforced, which will influence the way in which future protests and global connections of social movements are organized ».
Tiktok or artificial intelligence have been, perhaps, the most striking, but what is behind the protests of the Genz in Kenya is a renewal of mobilization and political participation.
