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.
I couldn't help but agree with those who claimed this was the largest gathering of protesters in Kenyan history. The streets were choked with youth, their numbers seemingly endless as they surged forward whenever the sound of teargas canisters pierced the air. The majority appeared to be between the ages of 14 and 19, their faces a blur of resolve and idealism. On Moi Avenue outside the Edge pub, a sea of bodies swayed to the rhythm of reggae music, which they had forced pub staff to play. Meanwhile, downtown, Luthuli Avenue and surrounding streets were scarred by destruction, the sound of breaking glass and shattering storefronts mingling with the cacophony of chaos. Even the youngest among them – some as young as 10 – joined in the looting, their small hands clutching pilfered goods as if they were war booty.
Renowned researchers of the adolescent brain have established that the human brain reaches its full development at around age 25, making the period between 12 and 25 a time of heightened emotional vulnerability. During this phase, young people's brains are still learning to regulate emotions, making them more susceptible to external influences. The adolescent brain's imbalance between emotional and rational centres can lead to impulsive, reckless decisions and peer conformity.
There is no question that the young people have been raising cogent issues, but the extent of resultant rage and destruction is explained by these brain realities and other factors.
Social media's constant stream of information can overwhelm and distract from thoughtful consideration, while emotional manipulation tactics can trigger impulsive responses. The negative subliminal communication online, some of which is organic, but much which is intentional, must get into the minds of young people. Challenges such as joblessness, the high cost of living, and other pressures will be underlying but subliminal messaging is a key trigger of the current protests.
A weakened political opposition is another factor that predisposed Gen Z to assert themselves. With Raila's focus shifted to chairmanship of the African Union Commission, the opposition has been severely weakened. Raila himself has lost much of his clout, particularly because of losing elections five times, last one being in 2022 when Ruto outsmarted him. Kalonzo Musyoka, who has tried to dig in and inherit the Azimio outfit, has been ineffective, pressed down by competition and the traction he cannot control from his in-house competitors, such as Martha Karua and others.
A robust opposition is essential for maintaining a healthy democracy, as it provides necessary checks and counterbalance to the governing party's power. This ensures accountability, promoting transparency and good governance, and preventing the abuse of authority. A potent opposition should be able to foster a culture of useful intellectual debates, enable a reasonable government to refine its policies and decision-making and ensure a more engaged citizenry. A vibrant opposition would promote national unity and cohesion so all people, including the youth, would feel their voices are represented.
The mainstream media have also been working strongly against the government. Although Tuesday was messy, it was interesting to watch most television channels deliberately generating and repetitively airing content of a country in absolute turmoil. Some ensured the sound of sirens and screams accompanied all footage. Media popularised the planned demos, amplified the protests and ensured strong emotional connections of viewers to the goings-on of the day so that more youth took to the streets. This kind of sensationalism is detrimental to society. The media have also been right in condemning the unfortunate display opulence by certain politicians that angers and offends Kenyans deeply. Politicians don’t have to worry about taxes or the cost of their gas guzzlers. Gen Z and hustlers do.
Even before Gen-Z arose, media coverage of government projects and activities had been mostly negative. The media are there for profiteering mainly, as we all know, and their interests are often underemphasised. With claims of pending bills and some allied to the opposition, there has been a major disconnect with the government. Albeit corruption in government, which the government itself concedes, and has been working to defeat through a raft of measures in the Public Service, the image projected is mostly one of rampant graft. It appears as though every government officer is involved in looting and nothing good is ever happening in government. Newspaper headlines carry mostly negative information about government. The coverage has been unbalanced, presenting a narrative that does not present government progress.
While challenges such as joblessness, the high cost of living, a luxury-living government seen as unresponsive to poor citizens and other pressures of life contribute to the rise of Gen Z, it is crucial to acknowledge social media's impact on their developing minds. The President’s offer of more engagement youth needs to be embraced and should be genuinely undertaken, while the government works to increase opportunities for youth and to balance taxation with the cost of living.
It is sad some young people lost their lives in the melee, we pray for their families and friends, and it is a loss for all Kenyans.
Political commentator