How Gen Z uprising exposes cracks in Africa's security model

Youthful demonstrators match along the streets of Nakuru City during the anti-tax country-wide protests on June 20, 2024. [File, Standard]

Kenya’s Gen Z-led protests against the 2024 Finance Bill have exposed deep flaws in Africa’s traditional security systems and forced governments to rethink how they manage unrest in the digital age, Professor Noah Midamba has said.

Midamba, a defence and foreign policy expert, called the youth-driven demonstrations “a security lesson for our time,” noting that digital activism now plays a central role in shaping public order and national stability.

“For the first time we saw a leaderless, decentralised movement driven by technology, fueled by social media and amplified through digital solidarity,” said Midamba during the Inaugural African Security Management Conference in Nairobi.

“The lesson here is not about suppression but about understanding how digital connectivity shapes modern security environments,” he added.

The protests, which erupted on June 18 and lasted nearly two months, were sparked by a Finance Bill proposing steep tax hikes on essentials including bread, sanitary pads and mobile money transfers.

Thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets chanting “Ruto must go” and “Reject Finance Bill 2024,” demanding economic justice, accountability and an end to police brutality.

Despite mass arrests, internet disruptions and a heavy police presence, the movement gained momentum through platforms such as TikTok and X, ultimately forcing President William Ruto to withdraw the bill on June 26.

Midamba said the protests revealed a new security reality where online mobilisation can outpace traditional intelligence systems. “Security management in the 21st century is no longer about control; it is about communication, trust and anticipation,” he said.

The three-day conference, taking place from October 13 to 15, brings together security chiefs, private sector leaders and policy scholars to explore new frameworks for safeguarding the continent amid rising cybercrime, terrorism and social unrest.

Midamba urged African governments to adopt a whole-of-society approach that integrates private security firms, academia and regional bodies into joint intelligence and response systems.

“Our borders are political, but the threats we face are not,” he said, adding, “Only through professionalism, data-driven decision-making, and regional intelligence sharing can we move from reaction to prevention.”

He added that young Africans, if included in policymaking and peacebuilding, could become “our greatest allies in building peace rather than our biggest security concern.”