Kenya braces for return of Gen Z protests – how did they begin?
Two years since Gen Z protests rocked President Ruto’s government, thousands are gearing up to take to the streets again. Thousands of people in Kenya
Two years since Gen Z protests rocked President Ruto’s government, thousands are gearing up to take to the streets again. Thousands of people in Kenya are gearing up for demonstrations as the country commemorates the second anniversary of Gen Z protests on Thursday, and mourns more than 120 people who were killed in a movement that galvanised a generation of young Kenyans two years ago. Initially triggered by an overarching tax bill in 2024, young protesters – known as “Gen Z” – mobilised against the rising cost of living, unemployment and government corruption, aiming to push President William Ruto out of office. That did not happen, but the government was forced to walk back on the tax bill. Still, the broader challenges, including economic inequality, which triggered anger among young people, have not been resolved, experts say. A commemoration event last year, to mark the first anniversary, turned bloody, as the government forces cracked down on protests, killing more than 60 people. This year, Ruto’s government has repeatedly warned against protests, which are set to start on Thursday, and has again ordered a heavy police deployment. Like last year, Gen Z demonstrations are expected to return to major cities across the country, including in the capital, Nairobi, on Thursday. So, how did Kenya’s Gen Z protest begin, and what’s in store this year? What are Gen Z protests? Gen Z protests are rooted in a distinct, hyperconnected era of civil resistance, led by a generation born between the late 1990s and early 2010s. They are often organised in a decentralised way through social media rather than by traditional activists and political parties. While demands are specific to the socioeconomic realities of a particular country, they typically centre around inequality and what many young people view as democratic backsliding by governments.
The movements have been characterised by their decentralised, leaderless structures. Even as the label was initially associated with global climate protests led by teenagers, the wave has since uprooted incumbent governments in countries like Nepal in 2025, Bangladesh in 2024, and Sri Lanka in 2022. Last year, similar protests erupted in Indonesia and the Philippines. Kenya’s Gen Z mobilisation since 2024 also features among the most impactful and widely resonating protest movements. How did the protests begin in Kenya? Protests began in 2024 in opposition to a finance bill aimed at raising $2.7bn in new tax revenue. At the peak of the protests, demonstrators stormed parliament and burned part of it after politicians passed the controversial bill on June 25, 2024. President Ruto eventually succumbed to pressure and returned the bill to parliament for further amendments – although not before protests had been subdued amid state repression. Ruto had risen to power on a populist agenda in 2022 and appealed to young marginalised groups. His campaign platform embraced what he called a “bottom-up approach” to prioritise millions trying to make ends meet, targeting working-class Kenyans. However, his time in office has seen increasing taxes, leading to inflation. The protests returned the following year, when thousands marched to commemorate the killings in June 2025, and snowballed after blogger Albert Ojwang died in police custody, reigniting public anger over police brutality and government accountability. The crackdown left more than 60 people dead and more than 500 injured, according to rights groups and media reports. What’s happening this year? On June 21, victims of the crackdowns on protests, including families of those killed by the police, gathered at the Nairobi Baptist Church, calling on the government to listen to citizens.
The BriefWire