Why Gen Z shift from the streets to ballots signals real political change

Gen Z's cheer during the Shujaaz Memorial Concert held at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, on July 7, 2024. [Denis Kibuchi, Standard]

There is a mistake that societies keep making when they watch political movements: they confuse silence with defeat and stepping back with giving up. But history shows that some movements do not die when they go quiet. They go underground. And when the pressure builds, they come back up, often more organised and more consequential than before.

Gen Z in Kenya is one such movement.