In May 2024, the Kenyan youth decided to exercise the right to peaceful demonstration and took to the streets to protest against the controversial 2024 Finance Bill.
Unlike other protests witnessed in the country, the youth demonstrations were largely peaceful and well coordinated via various social media platforms, such as X and TikTok.
The agenda was also clear: The youth wanted the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, so they came out in their thousands and brought business to a standstill in major towns across the country.
The climax was the 25 June 2024 protest, when hundreds of youth breached the parliament building, forcing legislators to flee.
The events of 25 June 2024 pushed President William Ruto to reject the Finance Bill and consequently send home his entire Cabinet.
Read More
During the protests, the youth maintained that they were leaderless; However, there were several individuals who consistently featured in the protests, a move that saw them being branded as 'faces of the protest'. In this article, we look into what has become of some of the notable persons who were behind the Gen-Z protests:
Kasmuel MCoure
Kasmuel was one of the famous figures during the protest. He was captured in photos that went viral and became the 'face' of the protest.
His rich vocabulary, excellent oratory skills, and fluency in the Queen's language made him a regular guest on TV shows during discussions on the protests.
When the protests ended, he ventured into political activism to empower Kenyans and ensure civic education was shared throughout the country.
His activism saw him meet with key political players such as National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro, his minority counterpart Millie Odhiambo, ODM Party Chairperson Gladys Wanga, and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga,
After meeting with Raila, Kasmuel announced that he had joined the ODM party and invited other young Kenyans to consider joining the opposition outfit.
"If you're willing to join a substantive political movement for a fair, democratic Kenya where everyone can live with dignity, consider the ODM party, the largest pro-people party in East and Central Africa," he stated.
Hanifa Aden
She was a key figure during the protest. She was always pictured participating in the demos and was a critical source of information on meeting points and dressing codes.
Hanifa also led an online funds drive and raised over 30 million in support of families of persons who died and those who sustained injuries during the protest.
She was in charge of the finances and released an audited report detailing how the funds were used. According to the report, 208 families benefitted from the funds.
The report noted that Ksh10,126,963 was used to clear medical bills for 95 individuals who sustained severe injuries during the protests, while Ksh 2,081,930 catered for victims who suffered permanent injuries, while Ksh 10,320,000 went to bereaved families.
Following the protest, she focused on civic education and attended several public sensitization forums across the country.
She has also been one of the prominent voices advocating for alternative leadership in the country.
In November 2024, Bungoma Senator Okiya Omtatah appointed her one of the members of a 10-person committee to explore Omtatah's potential candidacy for the 2027 presidential elections.
Hanifa serves as the committee's public relations/media consultant, manages public relations, and coordinates with the media.
Kevin Monari alias Osama Otero
He was a central piece of the demonstrations. His primary role was to host X spaces where the youth converged and discussed their key issues.
The spaces were also used to mobilize, deliberate on the agenda, coordinate how the protests would be done, and chart the way forward.
They also played a critical role in getting branded material for the protests, such as t-shirts and banners.
Many associated the protests with him. He was at one point allegedly arrested and held for hours, prompting the youth to push for his release and those of others reportedly arrested over the protests.
However, things took a sharp turn when he decided to host President Ruto on X spaces, a move that angered the youth and led to his being branded a traitor.
The backlash prompted him to take a backseat. He has maintained a relatively low profile since the online attack against him.
Mercy Tarus
She became prominent in August 2023 when she confronted Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and Senator Jackson Mandago over the Uasin Giahu scholarship scandal.
During the protests, she rallied youth in Uasin Gishu and across the country to show up and express their opposition to the Finance Bill.
She was also featured in interviews and was one of the regular guests on local TV stations during discussions on the protests.
Following the protest, she shifted her focus to her initiative, ' Kenya Ni Home,' which has different projects across the country, including plans to construct a school.
Morara Kebaso
His involvement was quite different. He started out with clips mimicking President Ruto. He invested in Ruto's Kaunda outfit and mastered the Head of State's mannerisms while addressing the public.
Morara would then record himself and criticise the president for launching suspicious projects or issuing many sweet promises to the electorate, most of which are yet to be fulfilled.
He later got into activism, traversing the country to showcase the state of some of the projects launched by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
His national tour, which used the hashtags "Vampire Diaries," highlighted the mismanagement of taxpayer funds, attracting significant social media attention.
Born into a politically active family, Kebaso leveraged his background and skills in drama to engage audiences, blending humour with civic education.
His videos endeared him to Kenyans, who in turn supported him with cash donations to facilitate his travel and production of more videos.
He later merged activism with civic education, where he dived different projects while holding roadside meetings and conducting civic education for Kenyans.
After traversing the country for months, Kebaso formed a political party and announced on 18 November 2024 that he will contest the country's presidency during the 2027 general election.
"I will run for president of the Republic of Kenya. My tribe is the youth of Kenya," he" stated.
Other persons who were critical in the protests include activist Boniface Mwangi. He was, however, arrested several times, prompting him to temporarily take a backseat.
Shadrack Kiprono, alias Shad Khalif, also played a critical role in mobilising, pushing the agenda on social media, and participating in the protests. However, he was dramatically 'arrested,' forcing him to tone down.
