Harness the dreams of Gen Z to power Kenya's innovation

Gen-Z protesters along Moi Avenue as they remember 60 young people who died in last year's finance bill demonstrations on June 25, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] Gen Zs are seen as an enigma. They are not. I think we have failed to understand them and their world. I have tried to understand them both in my house and in class. It's another question why we seem to fear them. Gen Z's first characteristic is their mastery of the internet and social media. They are the first digital natives. They found smartphones, unlimited internet, and social media. They may not believe me, but I paid Sh60 per minute to access the internet in 2002. That access to information has given them rare confidence. They Google before seeing a doctor. They have up-to-date information, often better than the service providers. They have more information on any topic than their parents, teachers, and lecturers. They feel we are holding them back with our old, tired ideas. The exposure has given them new benchmarks in everything, from beauty to justice. They are global citizens. I recall perusing a CV of a Gen Z looking for a job. The courses she had taken were from top-notch universities abroad, but she was still a student at a local university. Exposure has given them new dreams and aspirations. They want to be the best in whatever they do. They loathe tradition, no more doctors, lawyers and engineers. They can be animators, filmmakers or other non-traditional careers. Their careers may not even exist in Kenya today. Gen Zs are also independent-minded. They grew up when the KANU era and its restrictions were gone. Sadly, there is a concerted effort to roll back that freedom. They have grown up when parental and teacher authority has been diluted. Exposure has detached them from their traditions, more open to other cultures, nationalities and tribes. That has made them a homogenous group, a politician's worst nightmare, especially if they can be a swing block. Affordable internet has narrowed the digital divide between socio-economic classes. But for all their dreams and aspirations, the socio-economic environment has not given Gen Z the wings to fly. They feel restrained, unable to reach their full potential. Exposure has given them boundless exuberance. The economy has not changed fast enough to accommodate Gen Z's dreams and aspirations. The private sector has tried with call centres and AI trainers. The sense of injustice espoused by corruption in sharing the few jobs available has made them angrier. We prepared them for sophisticated jobs, not jua kali, they say. They want to use artificial intelligence (AI) and monetise innovations. The Genz and their socioeconomic environment are more of new wine in old skins. There is no need for war with our children. We need them to run the economy as innovators and consumers. We need to understand and help them. They are our children and not going anywhere. Can we get into their world? They are unlikely to get into ours. Do we have the will and patience to help? Gen Z's exuberance and innovation, if harnessed, could transform this country in our lifetime, from the agrarian age into the space or is it AI age?

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