Young people's struggle for a better Kenya must continue

The youth call for continued activism against political injustice and inequality. [File, Standard]

I am a Kenyan youth, and I speak to you as such. We have all witnessed monumental changes with regard to how young Africans engage with and challenge power over the past three years. Popular currents against political injustice and economic inequality have massively shifted the political landscape in many African countries, leaving several regimes on the back foot. Transnational solidarity efforts among activists and community organisers, which are anchored on both online and offline organising, have simultaneously resulted in increased cross-border collaboration between security agencies that are hell-bent on stifling the winds of change that this generation has birthed and thrust upon society. What is the way forward for African youth at this juncture?

The Gen Z protests in Kenya, which began as protests against an unpopular 2024 Finance Bill, quickly morphed into a #MustGo moment that shook the very foundations of the state. Beyond Kenya, these protests inspired fresh waves of imagination and action across the political landscape in countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Mozambique and Madagascar – and its reverberations were felt as far away as Nepal.