Published on 6/25/2026
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Last update: 10:00 (Mecca time)
With the second anniversary of the youth protests that rocked Kenya in June 2024, activists and human rights organizations called for marches today, Thursday, June 25, to commemorate the dead and demand justice, at a time when Kenyans are asking a recurring question: What has been achieved from the demands of the movement led by “Generation Z”?
1/ Spark 2024 and government concessions
The protests began two years ago in rejection of the 2024 Finance Bill, which included broad tax increases, and turned into the largest youth movement in Kenya’s modern history, during which protesters stormed the Parliament building. In the face of pressure, President William Ruto announced the withdrawal of the draft law, dissolved his government, and approved austerity measures. These concessions are the most prominent gain extracted by the protesters.
However, the human cost has been heavy, with the Kenya National Human Rights Commission reporting that at least 60 people were killed during the June and July 2024 protests.
2/ Demands that were not met
Two years later, sources indicate that the essence of the crisis has not changed. Protests returned in 2025 due to anger over police violence, most notably the killing of blogger and teacher Albert Ogwang in a cell at a police station in Nairobi, which prompted murder charges to be brought against police officers. But human rights organizations say that most of the families of the 2024 victims are still waiting for justice, and that 19 people were killed in the 2025 protests.
On the economic level, unemployment and the high cost of living remain major drivers of anger, as young people constitute about 68% of the unemployed in the country, according to a report by The Africa Report magazine. The government responded by launching the Climate Worx program to employ youth in work related to the environment, infrastructure, and housing for a daily wage.
In a remarkable irony, the Kenyan Parliament this month approved the 2026 Finance Bill, which aims to collect about 100 billion shillings (about 770 million dollars) in additional tax revenues, which became effective after it was signed by President Ruto. Opponents criticized provisions related to taxes on financial transactions and imports of used clothes, considering that they would harm the poor, according to The East African newspaper.
But the newspaper indicates that Ruto faces less pressure this time, based on his control over Parliament, where 122 deputies voted in favor of the law compared to 40 opponents. Part of this is due to the “broad-based government” agreement concluded in 2024 with the Orange Democratic Movement, the largest opposition party, led by the late Raila Odinga at the time (he died in 2025), bringing some of its members into the government in exchange for its representatives’ support for government bills.
3/ A movement searching for its path towards 2027
The face of the movement has also changed since that time. After being without a unified leadership, prominent youth voices have become closer to political formations, while others insist that there is no solution except with completely new faces, according to press reports. Opposition politicians and activists are competing to take the lead as the general elections scheduled for 2027 approach.
Ahead of the anniversary, Ruto called on young people to exercise restraint, while the government warned of violence. Human rights organizations have called for June 25 to be declared an official holiday to commemorate the dead, while opposition leaders hailed the “mother of all demonstrations” on the second anniversary, according to The East African newspaper.
In short, Generation Z succeeded in overthrowing the 2024 law and imposing political concessions, but it did not achieve its deeper demands for accountability, lowering the cost of living, and ending police violence, demands that remain open with every new anniversary.
4/ A spark that crossed the Kenyan borders
The repercussions of the Kenyan movement extended beyond the country’s borders. The “Generation Z” model has become a source of inspiration for youth movements in Africa and the developing world against austerity policies and tax increases linked to the conditions of international financial institutions, according to research centers that have followed the phenomenon. A similar wave of organized youth protests spread across social media platforms from Kenya to Nigeria, then to Madagascar, where protesters raised slogans similar to those of their Kenyan counterparts. Thus, Kenya has become a reference for a generation of young Africans in methods of digital mobilization and organizing protest outside traditional party frameworks, which makes the resonance of June 2024 far beyond the borders of the country from which it originated.
