History shows Gen Z demos will continue to push for real change

A protester covers his head after being injured during Gen Z protests anniversary on June 25 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

We were brass youth in the 1970s and ‘80s, protesting against stuff we detested. It was partly a coming of age experience, but also a realistic confrontation with the lived reality. But then, as now, the state did not listen. It clobbered us.  

They dismissed us as confused privileged youth. Someone even issued a shoot to kill order, like another one has just done. We were budding romantic idealists at the University of Nairobi. We believed in better lived experiences than we witnessed in our country and beyond. We did not limit ourselves to local issues.