“You, children of nowadays…” Perhaps these words are familiar to millennials, but a chorus for Gen-Z’s particularly of African descent. Arguably, we are the most attention-deprived generation, with our attention shrinking and social media platforms making a killing, selling our attention to the highest bidder.  We are addicted to our phones, constantly scrolling social media, out of touch with the real world, and our parents say, “Social media is not a real place” and yes, for a while, until our attention is drawn to our freedom. If there’s anything about the youth, we value our liberation, even from the prisons of our creations

Social media has evolved from merely a place of social interactions, to a business tool and for African youth, a tool for digital activism, mobilization and organizing. Don’t get me wrong, we have our fair share of social media scams  on the other side of the screen, but as time has unfolded, we have leveraged social media in pursuit of our liberation with movements like #EndFemicideKE, #EndSARs and #RejectFinanceBill2024, which are examples of the power African youths possess when they decide to take collective responsibility.

Unlike our ancestors, we no longer bathe in ashy water, consume concoctions, or visit mountain tops seeking protection from our oppressors in anticipation of their retaliation. We sometimes hide in plain sight under pseudonyms and call out oppressive regimes. But recently, we’ve stood tall, even with the threat of sniper shooters perched atop the tallest buildings in the city, killing unarmed protestors. We speak and demand not an audience, but action.

Some have died for their courage, and it's the reason we will not cease. See, Kenya’s presidential advisor called Kenyan youths “digital wankers” for questioning the over-taxation proposed in the recently rejected finance bill 2024. The bill sought to tax, for example; young people living in their parents’ house who are aged 25 years and above regardless of whether they are unemployed or not. And when youths mobilized to #occupyparliament and demand that their Members of Parliament vote against the bill, a host of MPs termed them “spoilt brats, who go to maandamano (protests) with an Uber, record videos using iPhones and thereafter go to have lunch at KFC”. They simply thought that Kenyan youths who are suffering under this regime, cannot and should not afford these basic needs.

For a long time, the political class in Kenya has been accustomed to the urban poor taking to the streets to protest against the high cost of living, often demanding the price drop of unga, maize flour, Kenya’s staple food. Oftentimes, the leader of the opposition, a complicit adversary, cuts a deal with the government of the day, the price slightly drops and the protestors return to their homes, happy that their “people’s president” has been incorporated into government.

Kenya witnessed this in 2002, then in 2007, which resulted in the formation of nusu mkate, a coalition government and in 2017 the formation of a “handshake government” – the opposition working together with the government of the day. In 2024, after the current government swore never to collaborate with the leader of the opposition, in June, they exchanged glances, shook hands, and claimed that the grievances of the youth had been heard, and they were united to promote peace in Kenya. But this time, the youths did not return home clapping their hands in victory, instead, they said, #draintheswamp.

See, all those times people went to the streets to protest, often because the leader of the opposition assured them that the polls had been rigged. One time, he was sworn in as the people’s president and for a while, the people thought they had their president, even without constitutional function and they were content. It's an age-old tradition, a few youths are killed on the streets protesting the election outcome and the involved political figures cut a deal, with no justice for the victims of police brutality. They are used to giving handouts and empty promises, as protestors go home content.

However, this time, the Kenyan youth, rallying online, did not go back home even after three of them were killed by snipers outside parliament. They raged on and managed to occupy parliament. The aftermath of their rage was the withdrawal of the bill by the president and the firing of his entire cabinet. Usually, when the leader of the opposition steps in, protestors heed to his call and go home. But this time, the Kenyan youths demanded that the president withdraw the finance bill 2024, stop the rollout of a national health insurance scheme that sought to increase the cost of cancer treatment, fire his cabinet, stop funding unconstitutional offices like the office of the first lady, and most importantly, to resign.

You might be wondering how all of a sudden, Kenyan youths believed in digital mobilization and pushed through with their plans? Well, they had a benchmark. In January of 2024, Kenyan women, distraught by the 21 femicides that had happened in the country decided to take to the streets. They mobilized digitally, holding X spaces, demanding accountability from government ministries, did media campaigns, press statements and petitioned different government arms; the judiciary and legislature to take action. As a result, the judiciary amplified the creation of Gender justice courts and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution created a specialized investigation unit for femicide cases. It's the success of this movement that encouraged Kenyan youths to take action and believe in the cause. And when politicians tried to penetrate the movement, they literally chanted, where were you? Unlike what happened after the president got tired of acting like he cared and fell back to his usual ways.

After the usual theatrics of shaking hands with the leader of the opposition, re-hiring his incompetent cabinet and offering a few slots to proxies of the opposition leader, the Kenyan youths are still standing on business, demanding that #RutoMustGo. Failure of the ‘handshake’ to stop the protests and most importantly the ongoing digital mobilizing for Nanenane, 8th Aug 2024 #RutoMustGo protests have caught them by surprise.

Kenya’s political elite are used to offering handouts to leaders who mobilize for protests to buy them off. But with the recent digital mobilization that has been termed leaderless, partyless and tribeless, their handouts have not been accepted, so they have resorted to abductions and sanctioning police brutality. These are not the usual protests that unga price drops and political appointments wore down, the Kenyan youth have awakened to a government in deep plans to rob them of their future. Digital mobilization has ultimately ended tribal politics in Kenya, with youths portraying a united front and solidarity at all the protest marches, donating blood to victims of police brutality and contributing money for burials and hospital bills, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.

Civic education in public transport, citizen assemblies via X spaces, mass voter registration in preparation for the 2027 elections and demanding the president steps down with immediate effect are part of the organizing work the youth are doing. If the youth are not in the streets, they have resolved to take away voter’s cards from those who deem their rage an insubordination to the government and carry out #draintheswamp by voting out all the politicians currently in government.

Kenya waking up from its slumber has motivated Uganda and Nigeria to stand up too. We live for the day when our parents will say, “You children of nowadays… You saved our nation”, certainly not today, but there comes a time.