Why Gen Z's absence in by-elections leaves hopes for change in limbo

Protestors play with World War 1 Memorial Statue on Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi on June 17, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

They were the loudest voices on the streets and the greatest casualties of the government’s brutal crackdown on the 2024 protests. On social media, they have been leading calls for a generational change in leadership and the transformation of the country’s leadership.

But when the opportunity for change came in the recent by-elections, they were absent. Except for a few who became goons for hire for power-hungry politicians seeking to disrupt the mini-polls, Gen-Z seemed to abandon the cause.