Gen Z: It's no playtime for the new Sherrif in town

A story is told of a small ancient kingdom, where a young king ruled with an iron fist.

He had been mentored by his uncle, a similarly insecure dictator who feared rebellion among his people and brutally suppressed dissent.

A time came when the people spoke out against his high taxes and harsh laws. Furious, the young king, ordered for the arrest and public execution of the young vocal leaders to serve as a warning, and to set an example. However, this fueled the people’s anger.

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Even those who had previously been quiet now joined in solidarity. The paranoid king, tyrannically cracked down harder, further fueling the resistance, and eventually turning it into a nationwide revolt.

A manageable issue morphed into an unstoppable force. The king was overthrown by the very people he sought to silence. There have been claims that the recent wave of protests, had financiers and organisers.

Ironically, President William Ruto may unwittingly be the biggest facilitator of the Gen Z revolution, having created the necessary conditions and environment for it.

It is a script interestingly embedded with echoes from a not-too-distant past, when Kenya was a de jure one-party state.

The Gen Z at the dawn of the 1990s, were the young turks of the Saba Saba movement agitating for multipartyism and constitutional reform.

Then, like now, the response of the State was a mix of brute force and promises of dialogue. Many young people died and disappeared. Thousands were injured.

In similar response to the #rejectFinanceBill2024 protests, there were arrests and abductions, and detentions of key leaders including, Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, Raila Odinga, Gitobu Imanyara, Mohamed Ibrahim, among others, some arrested days before the 7th July 1990 Kamukunji rally, in a bid to sweep back the tide and deter rising dissent. What Dr Ruto does not realise is if the young turks of the 1990s were able to successfully demand for change during a time when the old Constitution reposed immense power in the Presidency, 35 years later, the prevailing conditions may not only result in this new young generation pushing for the repealing of law but also the early termination of the tenancy of the current occupant at State House. 

Under the previous Constitution, the President was sovereign and Parliament was supreme. Today, the cornerstone of our Constitution is the Sovereignty of the people of Kenya. Power resides with the people, who may donate it, in trust, to be exercised on their behalf, and in their best interests.

Those who would want to conjure the ghosts of a bygone age, to interpret a living Constitution, have been put on notice that there is a new Sherriff in town, the Gen Z, and they have come surfing on the tide of a long-awaited third liberation.

If the legacy of the second liberation was a Republican Constitution, that of the third liberation is Constitutionalism, economic liberation which must be accompanied by - the values, best practices, and the culture of accountability and good governance that breathe life into a vibrant constitutional order.

We, the defiant youth of the 1990s reform movement are proud of Gen Z, and give a standing ovation to them for their bravery, patriotism, speaking truth to power, rejecting oppression, and stubbornly asserting their rights.

These brave and marvelous young men and women have successfully awakened the political consciousness of an entire nation and continent.

All people of goodwill should stand with them as they selflessly pursue the legitimate aim of a better Kenya for all.

It is a time to reflect on what it means when people overwhelmingly and unequivocally make it clear that their elected representatives do not represent their interests, and the regime in power is not working for them.

Isn’t this a direct recall by the people exercising their sovereignty under Article 1 of the Constitution? 

The writer is a Narc-Kenya leader