Tax demos show there is hope, but must cut expenditure too

Protestors engage police during their solidarity march to the Kenyan parliament as they protested against punitive taxes proposed in the Finance Bill 2024. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

This has been GenZ week. From the first day they came out in their thousands, to their musically themed protests in the streets and on various social media platforms, to their capacity for instantaneous spreading of key messages through their handhelds, they have shocked many of us.

For many years, this lot looked disconnected from social and political ongoings and disinterested in anything unrelated to battery strength, Netflix, takeout, and "raves". In one week, they have disabused us of this notion. We have seen that many of this generation are alert to the challenges that ail this country, that they care about where the country is going, and are willing to stand and be counted.