Outdated economic model to blame for Gen Z's rebellion

Youths light bonfires at TRM, Thika Road, during Gen Z anniversary protest, on June 25, 2025. [David Gichuru,Standard]

As Kenyans seek to recover from the battering inflicted by violent Gen Z demonstrations, the question that is uppermost in peoples’ minds is how to bring the youthful revolution to an end lest it destroys the nation. The pertinent question is what it will take to reset the economy so that it can absorb an enlightened generation that has clearly run out of patience.

According to many pundits, the blame for the national crisis is a government that has failed to appreciate the import of two mutually reinforcing social developments. The first development is emergence of a well educated and tech-savvy youthful generation that does not shy from asserting its democratic rights. As children of a technologically advanced age, the youthful generations have become global citizens with democratic values that demand high standards of governance and accountability.