Betrayers of Gen Z: How Kenya's political class traded justice for power

A Gen Z Protester march along Moi Avenue in Nairobi during the Anti-government protest on July 23, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Anita Barasa turned her phone’s selfie camera on to record a video, one of many she has made before. But this clip was different. It wasn’t for her thousands of TikTok followers, but for a man she deeply admired.

“Agwambo, this is a message to you,” began Barasa in her message to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, recorded just days before the Generation Z revolt erupted. “Usitokee (Don’t come out). Don’t come. Agwambo, please stay at home. We saw your efforts, okay? We saw everything you did for Kenyans.”