×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Informed Minds Prefer The Standard
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download Now

The kids are right: This generation will shame us and then save us

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

Protesters in the streets of Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

There is something in the Kenyan air. Over the last week, clouds of dissent pooled around the capital, wispy and slight at first, but they rapidly bunched and thickened. When the storm finally descended, it was with a quiet rage, but the din had only been rising. Somehow, while we were sleeping, the gong of revolution was sounded, and its echoing clangs were impossible to ignore.

It has been clear to anyone paying attention exactly who sounded the war drums; everyone, that is, except the powers-that-be, for whom the idea that a bunch of kids could light such fires underneath them is laughable. And yet, when the fog clears and this story is told, it will be said that the revolution was sparked by a young person wearing gender-fluid pants and platform boots. The prospect of talking about Generation Z is a slightly terrifying one. Not only have they repeatedly warned elder millennials like myself to keep their name out of our mouths, but they also move with a scorched earth mentality I have personally not experienced since the glory days of mchongoano.

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Uncover the stories others won't tell. Subscribe now for exclusive access.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
By AFP 2 hrs ago
Football
Arteta: Relax, we are in the Champions League semi-finals
Athletics
Five Kenyan athletes' bid to represent Turkiye blocked by World Athletics Panel
By AFP 7 hrs ago
Football
France boss Deschamps confirms Ekitike to miss World Cup
By AFP 7 hrs ago
Football
Kane lauds Diaz 'moment of magic' after Bayern knock out Real Madrid