The Vice President of our Strategic & Advisory Committee, Filiberto C. Sebregondi, together with our Communication and Media experts, Amirouche Needja and Laura Makokha, have published an article (click HERE to read the article) and a chronology (click HERE to read the chronology) on the "Generation-Z" protest movement that took place in June and July last Year in Kenya.
The article is published in the magazine The Contrapuntal and it provides an in-depth analysis of the growing disillusionment of Kenya’s youth with the country’s governance system – shifting the focus away from the traditional narrative of inter-ethnic tensions, highlighting systemic issues, economic inequality, and a lack of political accountability as key drivers of their dissatisfaction.
The unrest of June-July 2024 in Kenya was triggered by the controversial financial bill 2024, but it was rooted in widespread grievances against the general rise of prices, the reduced or dysfunctional social services, and the sense of rampant corruption in all spheres of government institutions.
The modality of the protest, based mostly on the creative use of the internet and social media, its communication ability, the informality and coordination of the leadership groups, the refusal of traditional forms of negotiation and co-optation, and the repeated appeals to the justice sector to prosecute human right abuses and bad governance, have all represented a total novelty in the societal and political dynamics of the country.
The article concludes by arguing that the ongoing transformational process of Kenya's society needs to be nurtured and accompanied by dedicated action of a panoply of actors. Based on the experience with supporting the 2022 electoral process via the EU-founded project Pro-Peace Kenya, particularly of preventing electoral violence through engagement with civil society, local leaders, the youth, and other marginalized groups, the European Centre for Electoral Support has proposed a “Pro-Dialogue Kenya” initiative that aims at mobilizing information, communication, education and dialogue platforms to allow the proper participation of youth and community actors to the rebuilding of Kenya democratic institutions and societal harmony after the June-July overhaul.
