Dubbed the “Gen Z” protests, the unrest was sparked by the introduction of an unpopular finance bill in mid-June. A month later, the bill was withdrawn, but protests have persisted and at least 50 people have been killed in the subsequent police crackdown on demonstrators.
But the roots of the protests predate this summer; Kenyans have been dissatisfied with the country’s economy since at least mid-2023, when initial protests began. And while the catalyst for these latest demonstrations may have been a series of tax increases proposed in the finance bill, the problems that young Kenyans face extend far beyond that issue.
For more than a decade, I have been researching slums in Nairobi and speaking with low-income residents in the capital. I’ve watched Gen Zers grow up since 2010 when some were just 5 years old. That same year, Kenya adopted a new constitution that guaranteed protected rights for all Kenyans, including adequate and affordable housing, clean water, health, equality, freedom of assembly, freedom from violence, and children’s rights to basic education. In short, poor Gen Zers were promised a pathway toward a decent life.
The failure of the Kenyan government to deliver on that pledge provides the backdrop to the deep-rooted grievances among Kenya’s poor that have manifested in widespread protests this summer.
Most residents of Nairobi’s slums live in extreme poverty, meaning they exist on just a couple of dollars a day. With such meager earnings, the increasing cost of living in recent years has made life intolerable for many, directly undercutting the promise of the 2010 constitution.
Dubbed the “Gen Z” protests, the unrest was sparked by the introduction of an unpopular finance bill in mid-June. A month later, the bill was withdrawn, but protests have persisted and at least 50 people have been killed in the subsequent police crackdown on demonstrators.
But the roots of the protests predate this summer; Kenyans have been dissatisfied with the country’s economy since at least mid-2023, when initial protests began. And while the catalyst for these latest demonstrations may have been a series of tax increases proposed in the finance bill, the problems that young Kenyans face extend far beyond that issue.
For more than a decade, I have been researching slums in Nairobi and speaking with low-income residents in the capital. I’ve watched Gen Zers grow up since 2010 when some were just 5 years old. That same year, Kenya adopted a new constitution that guaranteed protected rights for all Kenyans, including adequate and affordable housing, clean water, health, equality, freedom of assembly, freedom from violence, and children’s rights to basic education. In short, poor Gen Zers were promised a pathway toward a decent life.
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