A Crossroads for Kenya’s Protest Movement — Time to Rethink the Path
The events of June 25, 2025, especially the huge destruction of property witnessed in parts of Mt. Kenya, should give every concerned Kenyan pause. Only a year ago, Kenya’s Gen Z had captured the imagination of the country — standing tall for accountability, justice, and leadership renewal. Theirs was a protest movement that inspired hope. But the recent descent into leaderless protests, fueled by political incitement and culminating in economic sabotage, risks undoing all the hard-earned credibility of that movement. We must ask ourselves — what are we fighting for, and who is leading us? When protests lose their theme, they lose their power. Spontaneity without clarity becomes chaos. And chaos only serves the interests of those keen on suppressing voices of change. Worse still, when destructive elements creep in — looting, burning, and violence — the moral high ground shifts away from the people and lands squarely in the hands of a government waiting to justify repression. More wo...