On the streets amid Kenya’s violent revolt against its president, I discovered something amazing about the nation’s youth

It is something of a privilege to be in Kenya right now. Those of you who have watched news coverage of teargas and bullets might not think so but to see a people stand up and say “no more”, stand up to the career fat cats in their parliament who have grown obscenely and ostentatiously rich on the people's privations, none more so than President William Ruto himself, is nothing short of inspirational.

Everything is being led by Kenya's Gen Z. It is, as Disney described, a “whole new world” of rebellion and it’s wonderful to see. Way before the first 'mandamano' (strikes) and country-wide demonstrations, Gen Z were harnessing the power of the internet for good. Spreading the word, sharing the anger, bouncing suggestions about plans of action. Their rebellion was fully informed. They dissected the monstrous Finance Bill, laying bare every insidious little piece of larceny it would have brought into law.

In the same way that internet 'influencers' are many, the movement grew with many roots, no central office, no one single leader. Dare I say organically? It is an intelligent, socio-political mycelium which is something utterly new. And uniquely powerful.

Protesters make signs with their arms in front of Kenyan police officers during a demonstration against tax rises in Nairobi (Picture: Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images)

Not only that, it has the backing of a huge majority in the country, disappointed by a president voted in on a 'Man of the People' ticket but revealed to be the worst kind of hustler and hypocrite. His Finance Bill was calculated to steal from the poor and give to the rich, right across the board. Originally even bread was to be taxed.

A sense of purpose

After it passes its first reading with a few nips and tucks, Gen Z ramps up the demonstrations. They call a general strike on the day of the second reading and a protest at the parliament in Nairobi. Where I live is one of the rallying points and, while all the businesses are closed, the area is thronging with good-natured but determined protestors with home-made placards saying “Stop the Finance Bill”.

Public anger boiled over about the proposed finance bill, forcing the Kenyan government to withdraw several contentious provisions, including a tax on bread (Picture: Patrick Meinhardt/Getty Images)

Police line the road. I’m not sure they are prepared for these numbers. I do a fair old amount of fist-bumping as my friend David and I make our way towards a market where I have stuff to pick up, before catching the train to Mombasa. All along the way, young people are marching and waving and there is a sense of purpose that I have never, ever sensed in the Western world's Gen Z. No one says “this makes me feel uncomfortable”, they are too busy leading Kenya towards a seismic change.

As we get closer to the centre of the city, the police presence increases. And then the riot police appear, albeit there is no rioting. They are not friendly looking. Indeed most of them don’t look particularly enthusiastic about their job. But they still have something of the Robocop about them, as they surround the State House and block all roads leading to it.

Ground shakes as tear gas explodes

The market is almost empty of sellers. This is impressive. The people here are not just taking a day off work, they are losing the whole day's income. You can feel the solidarity throughout the city, which is filling up from all directions. I honestly feel like getting out and grabbing a placard and I am not really one of life's natural placard wavers.

So I hang out the car window and evince my support with more fist-bumping and thumbs-upping. And then there are a couple of loud bangs and another that shakes the ground and suddenly the air is filled with tear gas. We wind up the windows and try to make our way forward.

Even under these circumstances, the young demonstrators are, obviously, able to differentiate between friends/bystanders/people caught up in it all, and their opposition. The crowd parts at several locations to let us through. The police show no such powers of discrimination. And that is terrifying.

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By the time the train left the Nairobi Terminus, everyone in my carriage had the news on their mobile phone. We delighted as the demonstrators thronged around Parliament. We wait with baited breath as the votes were counted. And we were outraged when the Bill was voted through. Of course, the consensus in carriage fourteen was that those votes were bought and paid for. Of course, they were.

Calls for Ruto to resign

Now all that remained was for Ruto to sign the bill into law. And then maybe not all hell, but some of the more unpleasant parts of it, broke loose. Protesters stormed the parliament, part of the building was set on fire. And soldiers were instructed to use live ammunition on the young people.

Two disabled MPs who were abandoned by their fellow party members – who rushed to safety through a tunnel – only escaped because they were rescued by a couple of protesters. No one knows how many young people died. How many have been 'disappeared'. How many injured.

This administration is not big on difficult facts. Two days later, Ruto, in the face of Gen Z's unwillingness to back down, refused to sign the bill into law and it will go back for more changes.

But now the protesters want more. They want accountability from every MP for the vast amounts of unexplained money they acquire. They want to know how Ruto can afford a private jet to the USA while his county cannot educate its children. They believe doctors should be paid more than MPs. They want Ruto to resign.

And all of these demands they have backed up with a level of factual evidence which is utterly unknown here. To be fair, not only here. Yes, in the wake of the good guys protesting came some bad guys just out for a bit of recreational violence and looting. That is, unfortunately, unavoidable.

But it should not distract us from this generational grasping of power for the greater good. Kenyan Gen Z, this old Boomer thinks you're dank!