The ongoing protests in Kenya could change the country’s political landscape. The protests, spearheaded by young Kenyans, started when people gave a memorandum to parliament to reject various punitive clauses in the Finance Bill 2024.
Parliament decided to ignore it and passed the bill. On the fateful June 25, 2024, the lawmaking body was stormed, with lawmakers who supported the bill running for their lives. Many escaped in ambulances meant to treat injured protestors during the protests.
These protests are unprecedented in that politicians have always organised protests for many years. This time, the political class could not believe that Kenyans, especially young people, could organise themselves and protest like they did in the past few weeks.
Any concerned person in the country could see these protests coming. Kenyan youth are disillusioned. The level of joblessness in the country is out of the roof. Kenya has a relatively high population of well-educated citizens compared to its peers.
As people graduate from universities and colleges, they do not find opportunities, hence the high unemployment among the country’s youth. On the contrary, as people suffer, the political class is parading new high-end cars and contributing vast sums of money to harambees. Many people in political circles are building palatial homes and wearing costly watches.
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Young people are connecting the dots, which is why, for the very first time, we see young Kenyans pouring into the streets in big cities and small towns.
People say there is no way in the same economy that has led to ordinary folks closing shops, parents unable to pay their children’s school fees, and politicians showing opulence and contributing large amounts of money to the church.
This is how the term salimia yeye came into being, which basically means confronting anybody who goes against the public interest.
Young people have been accused of ignoring politics for many years, and many have considered it boring. Not anymore. Young people are now scrutinising every bill passed in parliament and holding every Member of Parliament accountable for their voting.
Kenyan members of parliament have gotten away with passing some bad laws in the past. Given Kenya’s current environment, seeing how parliament conducts its business will be interesting.
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Politically, Kenya is in unchartered territory. We have a confused political class. They are used to dividing Kenyans along tribal lines while pilfering Kenya’s resources. Here, they have to deal with a group of young people who do not want to be divided along tribal lines, are well-educated, and want to hold public servants to account.
Another nightmare for politicians is that the young Kenyans who have united will form the majority of voters in the next general elections. The government and the opposition have come together to call for dialogue, but most people have declined.
In the future, Kenyan youth should embrace a political dispensation that fosters economic growth, upholds the rule of law, fights corruption, and protects individual liberties.
Tellish Odiwuor Okumu is an independent economist based in Mombasa, Kenya. He’s available at okumutellish@gmail.com. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
