The year 2024 was a momentous period, marked by mass protests that occasionally brought activities to a standstill.
Gen Z-led demonstrations proved too overwhelming for the police, culminating in an unprecedented historic invasion of the Parliament.
Here are some of the major demonstrations that made headlines in 2024:
Gen Z protests
Organized primarily through social media, these protests were unlike any seen before. Young people took to the streets in large numbers to express their discontent with government actions.
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Tuesdays and Thursdays became designated protest days, with the primary grievance being opposition to the government’s proposed taxation policies.
The demonstrations reached their peak on June 25, 2024, after weeks of intense social media uproar over the controversial Finance Bill 2024. On this day, protestors made a historic forced entry into Parliament buildings, breaching the heavily guarded front gate.
Once inside, they proceeded to the parliamentary chambers, with some even accessing the floor of the House and the cafeteria, where they had lunch. Members of Parliament, who were in session at the time, fled through the basement to escape the chaos.
The protests yielded tangible results, forcing President William Ruto to take significant actions. These included withdrawing the contested Finance Bill 2024 and subsequently dismissing the entire Cabinet, which was later reconstituted.
Doctors’ strike
In March 2024, doctors from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) paralyzed operations in hospitals after downing their tools.
Many patients were left unattended across several hospitals, with the government then threatening to fire the striking doctors.
The doctors were demanding the Ministry of Health clear the basic salary arrears for doctors as per the 2017 collective bargaining agreement.
They were also protesting against the government’s delay to post 1,200 medical interns.
The government then insisted that there were no funds to meet the doctors’ demands, with President William Ruto calling on them to resume work.
On Wednesday, May 8, the Ministry of Health announced that KMPDU officials had signed a return-to-work agreement with the government to end the strike after 56 days.
On Monday, December 2, KMPDU again issued another strike notice stating that the national and county governments have been complicit in flouting the agreements in the return to work formula signed in May.
However, on December 19, KMPDU signed a deal with the Ministry of Health to call off the planned strike in an exercise witnessed by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
Lecturers’ strike
Learning in universities was paralyzed for weeks in 2024 as dons downed their tools, demanding full implementation of their 2021-2025 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) by the government.
The strike, which began on October 29, affected universities nationwide as the lecturers insisted on the demands.
However, weeks later, the lecturers decided to call off the strike after striking a deal with the government.
University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga announced on September 22 that the government had agreed to avail Ksh9.6 billion for the implementation of the CBA.
“We want to thank the government for accepting to vail Ksh9.6 billion for the 2021-2025 CBA. Therefore, the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) is convinced that the government has heeded to what we wanted and therefore officially calls off the strike that started on October 29, 2024. I want to impress upon lecturers that we should prepare to resume classes,” Wasonga stated.
Aviation workers’ strike
On September 2, 2024, aviation workers held demonstrations at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to reject the government's deal with Adani Holdings to upgrade the facility, which was later cancelled by President William Ruto.
The workers marched through the streets of JKIA while holding placards and chanting 'Adani must go'.
Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) Secretary General Moses Ndiema, who then joined the protests, called on the government to stop all stakeholder engagement, claiming that KAWU had not been involved.
Things got thicker on September 11 when the aviation workers at JKIA downed their tools and brought operations at the airport to a standstill.
The airport was completely grounded, with no flights taking off on the fateful day. Passengers arriving from abroad were being mixed with those departing.
However, that evening the workers called off the strike after signing a return-to-work formula to resume normal operations at the airport.
This followed a meeting chaired by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir. KAWU indicated that it had received the documents requested and that it would go through them to flag its area of concern.
Teachers’ strike
For two weeks after the reopening of schools for the Third Term, learning was paralyzed in secondary schools as teachers went on strike.
A section of schools was forced to send students home as the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) strike took root.
The teachers were demanding the promotion of teachers with higher education qualifications and for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to remit all loans and NSSF deductions to the statutory bodies.
The industrial action was initially called to push for the implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
However, KUPPET later called off the strike after negotiations with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
