MWAMISI: Behind Gen Z’s rise: Media messaging, opposition vacuum, politicians’ lavish lives

On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 25, a colleague dropped me off on the bustling Muindi Mbingu Street, between Kilimanjaro Restaurant and the imposing I&M bank Towers. Dressed in a suit, I was suddenly swarmed by a group of young men, their faces set with determination. “Wee sini Karao buda” (“You're a cop, aren’t you?”) they accused me, their eyes scanning my attire for y telltale signs of authority, frisking me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, only to relax when they found no firearms on my person. As I had planned, I quickly seized the opportunity to strike up interesting conversations and disentangled myself from the group, disappearing deeper into the throng of protesters near Nation Centre.