On Tuesday, Kenyans witnessed a new chapter in the country’s politics, when an army of Gen Z demonstrators showed up in the streets of Nairobi, to Occupy Parliament during anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests that brought the Central Business District to a standstill.
Vigorously advocating for their rights, armed with just their smartphones and placards, braving tear gas in the face of a huge deployment of paramilitary police, the young activists peacefully marched through the city streets, chanting and demanding that MPs reject the bill on Thursday.
Caught flatfooted, a section of government is now trying to tie former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu to the protests, saying he colluded with activist Boniface Mwangi to sponsor the demos.
” Its funny how some fellows want to twist the hired teenagers as Gen Z. Hakuna kitu kama hiyo…Ngunjiri Wambugu paid 300 young men and a few women, in addition to the normal Bonface Mwangi professional demonstrators, and made arrangements with Media Houses to highlight the arranged stone throwing, and then picked up three, four cases of “heroism” And then went to Twitter,” Gordon Opiyo wrote.
”All well scripted by Ngunjiri Wambugu and Bonface Mwangi, alafu it’s being twisted as Gen Z… Alafu invoice ya 30 million ina chorwa, na kazi ime isha.”
Not amused by Opiyo’s claims, online users quickly pointed out how Kenya Kwanza politicians have failed to connect Raila Odinga and Opposition leader Raila Odinga to the protests, making Ngunjiri Wambugu and Boniface Mwangi their targets.
”After spending the whole afternoon wondering how to connect Raila and Uhuru to today’s protests, he gave up and decided to tell his followers that it was Ngunjiri Wambugu and Boniface Mwangi who sponsored. Soon he might tell us that it was Gachagua. This is what happens when people are in denial and want to live in an echo chamber,” Pauline Njoroge wrote.
”Exactly what does William Samoei Ruto intend to do with Gordon Opiyo finally. Ok Iam assuming William has heard of such a dude in the first place. Now what does he or rather what would he do with him. You can’t keep a 1999 graduate on the sidelines forever, making him fool everyone that he is consulting for your administration,” Wahome Thuku posed.
Kihuria Wa Ndorogo told Opiyo: ”This generation is smart upstairs. They have gained from Kibaki’s free primary education, Uhuru’s 100 percent transition all the way to higher learning institutions, and they are now grappling with a government that doesn’t want to listen, yet delivering nothing.”
The Tuesday revolution began on social media with the young Kenyans expressing their views and discontentment with this year’s Finance Bill 2024. Gen- Z is used to describe those born between the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s. This means a majority of the protesters were Kenyans below 30 years of age.
