NAIROBI: A fresh wave of nationwide protests erupted across Kenya on Wednesday as the country’s Gen Z-led movement marked the first anniversary of last year’s deadly demonstrations against sweeping tax hikes. What began as a digital protest against economic injustice has now grown into a full-blown uprising against state brutality — with Wednesday’s confrontations turning especially violent.
Security forces responded to peaceful marches with teargas, water cannons, and, in several areas, live ammunition. The result: more casualties, more anger, and a deepening sense of disillusionment among Kenya’s youth. The exact number of fatalities remains unclear, but human rights observers confirmed that several protesters were killed or critically injured in cities including Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.
The Gen Z-led protests have increasingly become a symbol of resistance against state violence and political apathy. Mobilized largely via social media platforms, young Kenyans have refused to back down, despite intensifying crackdowns, mass arrests, and a government narrative labeling them as “unpatriotic disruptors.”
“This movement is not about chaos — it’s about justice,” said 23-year-old protester Achieng Ouma, speaking from the front lines in Nairobi. “We are tired of being ignored. We are tired of being killed for asking for accountability.”
The timing of the latest demonstrations — exactly one year after the 2024 anti-tax protests that left dozens dead — has reignited painful memories. Protesters have drawn chilling parallels between last year’s bloodshed and Wednesday’s police response, underscoring what they call “a state policy of impunity.”
Kenya’s police force, long accused of heavy-handed tactics, defended its response by citing “public order concerns.” Interior Ministry officials warned that “acts of violence and destruction” would be met with “firm legal action.”
But critics say that narrative fails to address the root of the uprising: a generation feeling trapped by unemployment, inflation, shrinking freedoms, and repeated betrayals by political elites.
The crackdown on Kenya’s youth also coincided with the release of the 2025 Global Peace Index, which paints a grim picture of deteriorating global stability — with Sub-Saharan Africa at the heart of that downward spiral. The region continues to suffer from rising conflict, growing militarization, and dwindling resources for peacebuilding.
Kenya, long seen as a relatively stable anchor in East Africa, risks losing that reputation amid spiraling internal unrest and mounting international concern.
“The decline in peace across Sub-Saharan Africa is not just about warzones like Sudan or the Sahel,” said one of the Peace Index report’s co-authors. “It’s also about democracies under strain — where civic space is shrinking, and youth are being pushed to the margins.”
In Kenya, that strain is now palpable. What began as a protest against economic policy has mutated into a generational reckoning — a call from Kenya’s youth not just for tax justice, but for structural change, civic dignity, and safety in the streets.
“We are the future,” said Ouma, defiantly waving a Kenyan flag outside a smoldering protest barricade. “And we are not going away.”
