True to the quote by Wyndham Hartley who said that ‘revolutions are built on empty bellies’, the youth of Kenya took to the streets because they were hungry, deprived, being wasted away and getting to a point of having nothing left to lose. Hungry not only of food but also of jobs, aspirations, opportunities whilst simultaneously watching their country’s fat cats getting fatter, the government and institutions infested by criminality of various forms. Good deeds and values amounting to nothing and ultimate rewards going to the most corrupt, most daring, most shameless, most greedy, most cunning, most nepotised, most religious and to the best liars.
What we have witnessed in the last few weeks was something unprecedented and has not happened in this day and age. Young people carrying twigs, flags and phones, with their chest out staring at their oppressors straight in the eye. There were protests in over 30 towns and cities in the country, those who took to the streets were mostly the youth, but as a friend and comrade Njuki Githethwa indicated in an interview with the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE), they were supported by others who assisted in small ways who fed them, hid them, sheltered them, gave them bus fares and lifts, who pushed their wheelchairs, who held their hands, who recorded them and shared and reshared on social media platforms and much more. The emergence of the uprising said to be ‘leaderless’ organised and catapulted via social media was classless, tribeless and partyless was united on the key objective of rejecting the tax bill.
There have been speculations on who is behind this movement in Kenya. Perhaps these speculations spring from the idea that Kenya has suddenly become a target of massive demonstrations after enjoying relative peace while her neighbours have been afflicted with instability. There is talk of the emergence of a new political order in Kenya. However, it is clear that Ruto, his predecessor Uhuru and the fat cats in government have made this bed and therefore must sleep on it. Starting with extravagant lifestyles that they are able to afford or to give themselves at the cost of the ordinary mwananchi who they have distanced themselves from. The contracts and deals they have entered with imperialist and former colonisers most notably the USA, the uncalled for mission on Haiti, expanding military bases, opening a nuclear plant and many other deals with UK, Israel, Italy and such forth.
The issue that broke the camel’s back was borrowing from the World Bank and IMF and for that being pushed to raise taxes in the now infamous finance bill. Most Kenyans are not opposed to fair taxes if they can see the fruits of the taxes. However, the corruption in the country most goes to line some pockets and to fund extravagant lifestyles.
Ruto had ignored cries and disquiet from Kenyans regarding the bill but after a week of protests he gave in and rejected it. This move, coming after days of demonstrations and violent responses from the government leading fatalities, was too little too late. Kenyans have since been demanding his exit from office. Which brings me to a final point.
What is Next for Kenya?
His initial statement after the protests began was to cast the protesters as criminals and called for actions to be taken against them at ‘whatever cost’. We have seen the brutality and violence of the Kenyan police, several dozens of people killed including innocent children, several hundreds injured and hospitalised. We have seen abductions and body snatching by the police and agents of the state of some key activists or those who have spoken against the government. We even saw an attempt by the president to bring in the army on the streets to silence the protests. We have seen blame games from the president and vice president who are said not to be on good terms. President Ruto recently engaged in a round table with the media which was made out of desperation. That did not help his damaged reputation that has continued to diminish.
The crossroads then is, who is ready to take on the next task of leading the country if Ruto goes now? We have seen what the Arab spring did to North Africa. Would we see a replication of that? Animal Farm by George Orwell comes to mind.
If Ruto doesn’t go and waits until the next election, what will be happening between now and then? He has been in denial, defensive and missing the point even as the protests are unfolding. One of the key moments was when he was asked what he would say to the mother of a boy who was shot eight times on his back and his response was: ‘ he is alive isn’t he?’ The statement implied that all was well.
Will he go after all those who took action in revenge or to make sure that such protests will never happen again? Many people are already saying that we’ve gone back to the Moi era where there would be enforced disappearances of agitators. President Ruto has already been accused of organising killings after the disputed elections in 2007 which made him to be sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands where he was charged with crimes against humanity. Will President Ruto trample on the rule of law like he did with the Haiti deal with the USA. Is this likely to escalate if he continues with his term? What would he not do to people who have made him bite his bottom lip in anger? To the gen Z who have called him out publicly, like the one who shouted ‘mr. Speaker sir’ right inside the Chambers of the Senate after protestors stormed Parliament on June 25th..
So, would our not knowing who will come after the incumbent president lead many to prefer the devil we know? What happens to the bold and courageous Gen -Zs who took to the streets for the sake of this country? How is their wellbeing? How will their fellow citizens protect them? In 2011 there were similar protests in the UK where young people took to the streets via communication through BlackBerry. The police and other government agencies in the UK spent thousands of hours on CCTV footage. In the end, they were able to identify individuals who had looted a pair of shoes, and others for being on the streets. When they came to their homes to arrest them, no one but their families witnessed their arrests. Some of those arrested were from working class families, some from single parent families, some on immigrant visas. Those arrested were subjected to hefty prison sentences, possible deportations upon release, huge financial burdens and put on criminal records. There are many more examples of what happens when the chips are down for those who dared. Even if the young people in Kenya’s uprisings were not necessarily filmed on CCTV cameras, they recorded themselves and each other and posted on social media. So one can imagine that it would be easier to track and follow their postings on social media, putting them in more danger.
Whatever we think, what is clear is that this movement has inspired many others across the world on people’s power and will be used as an example on social movements and uprisings for a while to come. Kenyans and many others will remember this uprising for generations to come. The tenacity and courage of the youth who moved beyond individual issues to community and societal issues. Youth who have been able to connect perceived individual and institutional failures to government failures and oppression. This has led to uniting them on common objectives and compiling credible demands on what they consider rooting out of the evil that has befallen Kenya. The youth have not only spoken to the issue of the fFinance Bill 2024 and Ruto’s exit but have also targeted and exposed the individuals who are complicit like the MPs (Mpigs) and their ill – gotten wealth. They have also targeted institutions which uphold and reinforce mentalities and practices of oppression, like churches, IMF/World Bank offices, amongst others.
We have seen families breaking down as they identify bodies of their loved ones in mortuaries. We have seen protesters not only being tear-gassed and hosed with water but getting shot at with live bullets and their bodies sprawled on the streets. We have also seen protestors, even though afraid and most likely traumatised, carrying the bodies of their dead comrades, some laying flags and singing the national anthem over dead bodies. Others pushing fellow protestors on wheel chairs around and holding others with disabilities so they too can participate in the protests. This uprising of the youth in Kenya has changed lives and mindsets forever.
