Kenya is bracing for fresh Gen Z protests as the nation marks two years since the youth-led movement first erupted. The demonstrations, born out of frustration with taxes, corruption and inequality, have already claimed more than 120 lives. With tensions rising and heavy police deployment ordered, this year's anniversary could again test the country's fragile balance between dissent and state power.
What Are Gen Z Protests?
According to Al Jazeera, the Gen Z movement is a form of civil resistance led by young people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s. Unlike traditional protests, these are decentralised and organised largely through social media. Their demands often centre on inequality, unemployment, corruption, and what many see as democratic backsliding. Globally, similar youth-led protests have shaken governments in Nepal (2025), Bangladesh (2024), and Sri Lanka (2022). Kenya's mobilisation since 2024 stands out as one of the most impactful.
How Did Kenya's Gen Z Protests Begin?
The protests erupted in June 2024 against a finance bill aimed at raising $2.7 billion in new tax revenue. Demonstrators stormed parliament on June 25, 2024, setting parts of it ablaze after the bill was passed. President William Ruto eventually sent the bill back for amendments, but not before state repression subdued the protests. Ruto, who rose to power in 2022 on a populist "bottom-up" agenda, has since faced criticism for rising taxes and inflation. Anger reignited in June 2025 after blogger Albert Ojwang died in police custody, sparking fresh demonstrations that left more than 60 dead and over 500 injured.
What's Happening This Year?
On June 21, families of victims gathered at Nairobi Baptist Church, urging the government to listen. Chris Kinyanjui of the National Council of Churches of Kenya said: "We stand with every Kenyan who continues to carry the pain and memories of that dark season in our nation." Jackie Makena, a theologian, added: "Kenya stands in a courtroom. The blood of young people cries out from the ground." Tensions remain high as Ruto's government introduces the Finance Act 2026, framed as pro-growth. Speaking on June 19, Ruto warned against protests: "The one thing that is not going to happen is that people will be mobilised to destroy property or to cause chaos or mayhem. That will not happen." Opposition leader James Orengo has called for marches and vigils, urging Kenyans to show solidarity even by staying home: "Let the silence of our empty streets be a roaring testament against tyranny."
Will Victims Receive Justice?
President Ruto recently announced a $15 million fund to compensate 1,100 people affected by violent protests between 2017 and 2025. He described it as an "acknowledgement that harm occurred" but stopped short of an apology. Families of victims remain unconvinced. Gillian Munyao, whose son Rex Masai was killed in June 2024, said: "He's covering up the wrongs that he did. He just wants us to shut up because of the cash … I'm not seeing justice anywhere." So far, only four cases related to protest deaths have reached court, with no convictions. Rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have highlighted abductions of government critics in 2024 and 2025, many of whom remain missing.
Finance Act 2026 Sparks Fresh Demonstrations
Thousands of mostly young demonstrators took to the streets across Kenya on Thursday to protest tax hikes, whistling and chanting slogans in a vivid show of anger by Gen-Z protesters against the government. Police in the capital Nairobi fired tear gas and water cannon against groups of protesters near parliament, but apart from isolated scuffles earlier in the day, the action — dubbed "Occupy Parliament" — remained mostly peaceful. Led largely by young Kenyans, the demonstrations began in Nairobi on Tuesday before spreading nationwide on Thursday.
