Kenya is looking at tumultuous times ahead in the face of a restless citizenry that has lost faith in the government after only two years, and a president who can do anything to remain in power.
While President William Ruto on June 26 succumbed to pressure and declined to sign the controversial Finance Bill 2024 after one week of protests—that saw more than 22 killed by police gunfire and over 100 nursing injuries—tension remains high in the country that is yet to deal with other underlying issues.
It is emerging that Finance Bill 2024 which faces opposition due to high taxation was just a catalyst for many underlying issues that pushed the angry youth to storm and ransack parliament on June 25—the first since the country got independence in 1963.
The storming of parliament was a softer version of what happened in Burkina Faso in October 2014, when protesters angry at plans to allow former President Blaise Compaore to extend his 27-year rule burnt down parliament, forcing the president to flee into exile.
The Kenyan youth led by the Generation Zoomers, commonly known as Gen Z are not likely to be contended with the mere dropping of the Finance Bill 2024 because their grievances are many and varied.
The same goes for the older generation who have similar grievances against the Ruto administration, but whose conventional approach has not borne any fruit—an indication there are more protests to come.
“By invading parliament, the youth were telling the MPs that they have failed in their duty to represent them and that they are ready to take back the powers that rest with the people,” said Javas Bigambo, a Lawyer and an expert on governance.
Top on the list of the grievances that irked the youth is the broken promises. The Ruto administration swept to power on promises of easing the cost of living and providing employment to youth—who comprised the majority of his voters.
Instead, most Kenyans are facing economic hardship and job losses as several multinationals have closed shop and moved to the neighbouring countries due to high taxation. Last February, the government shut down 67 public and private companies the Kenyan Insolvency Act 2015, rendering thousands jobless.
According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, the overall unemployment rate in Kenya is 12.7 percent, while that of the youth between the ages of 15 to 35 stands at 67 percent.
Then there is the burning issue of official corruption and the opulent lifestyles of those in government, while the general public is finding it hard to survive. According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Kenya is losing an estimated $5 billion (7.8 percent of the country’s GDP) to corruption annually.
Since President Ruto took power in September 2022, some of the government progammes that were running under his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta are struggling due to corruption.
Richard Onyonka, the Senator Kisii County says that there is blatant looting regarding the Retirement Benefits Fund, the Education Fund, Lapfund, the Sports Fund and the National Health Insurance Fund.
“These are issues that are making our country look like a banana republic. The youth who have been looking for jobs in vain are now a frustrated lot and will go to the streets and it will be difficult for anybody to stop them,” said Mr Onyonka.
Analysts pointed out that the Finance Bill 2024 set aside funds for unconstitutional offices in what is commonly known as “budgeted corruption”. The youth and Kenyans in general were opposed to the government allocating over $769,000 to the First Lady and Deputy First Lady, as well as the renovation of the official residence of the Deputy President at the cost of $5 million.
“We are protesting against the reckless spending of our resources and the misplaced priorities. The government has stopped the school feeding programme due to lack of funds and yet the same government is proposing to spend $5 million for the renovation of the Deputy President’s residence,” said a young lady protester in an interview with a local television station.
Secondly is the political oppression. President Ruto is emerging as a high-handed ruler who has been dealing ruthlessly with his critics, with many people equating his style with that of former dictator, the late Daniel arap Moi.
The Ruto administration has been accused of a high-handed approach against its critics, which started during the initial demonstrations that were orgainised by opposition-led Raila Odinga in the early months of 2023.
During the one week of protests that began on June 18, the police applied excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, as well as a series of kidnappings of the purported leaders of Gen Z by police in plain clothes.
“The constitution seems to have been suspended. The government has unleashed brute force on our children and more seem to be on the way. The government cannot afford to kill children just because they are asking for food, jobs and a listening ear,” Mr Odinga said in a statement following the chaos on June 25.
Yet, part of the reason why the youth took to the streets was due to their realisation that opposition politicians have failed to keep the government in check.
But the most important underlying issue is election fraud. The opposition and their supporters still believe that Ruto’s victory in 2022 was a result of widespread manipulation by the electoral body working in conjunction with some foreign countries with vested interests.
Attempts to push for electoral justice by the opposition remain stuck as the Ruto Administration has been unwilling to allow the electoral body to open the servers for a forensic audit.
