Young People Demand A Better Kenya

On 18 June 2024, exactly one month to my birthday, I was proud. Extremely proud.

Young people in Kenya organised, mobilized and went to the streets to demand for their constitutional rights. This has been one generation that has casually and always pushed and asked for their rights. People make jokes and memes around it because it’s not the norm. Anything awesome was never achieved in the normal way of doing things.

What is normal? Taking everything you are given? Not asking questions or letting people know what is okay with you and what is not? This kind of normal is not ideal. It will not see deep seated inequalities that have thrived on silence and fear, change.

This is why I was happy to see Gen Z speak truth to power. Show up and show out in their unique style, even get ready with me videos as they wore different styles of black…..

Update

This was what I wrote and never got to finish. Today is 26 June 2024.

Yesterday, 25 June 2024, which is also another birthday of mine, don’t even ask, Kenya stood still.

The Finance Bill 2024 was passed even after Kenyans came out in thousands if not millions to reject it. In 36 out of the 47 counties that we have. That is sad on it’s own but what is most infuriating is the lives that were lost.

They were kids, boyfriends and friends that will never go home again. They did not tell their loved ones any last words.

Not because they were sick, not because they were criminals as we were gaslighted to think. Because they stood up and asked for their right to reject a bill that makes the lives of Kenyans harder than they already are.

Leadership is listening. When it is imposed on a people, then it is dictatorship and we are just but slaves in our country.

I never saw the day I carried this heavy burden in my heart just because I am Kenyan. I never saw myself living anywhere else other than this country. When I travel, I look forward to coming back home with such gladness in my heart. I have a great perspective of this beloved country and this will not change just because those in power have chosen to be selfish.

What can we do now that we are here? How can we keep this momentum going? For the first time, we have seen well equipped citizens take their rightful place in the scheme of things. My joy is that I was alive to witness it. My blessing is that I have a role to play to ensure it never stops.

You too have a role to play my fellow Kenyan. This I know you know by now and backed up by real life experience.

First of all, we all need our voters cards registered and updated. This is the next big thing that needs to happen. We then need to start identifying and investing in the young people who we are electing to parliament. People who have values, people who are listeners and dependable. Then we need to have a massive consistent civic education campaign.

I am ashamed to say that this is the first finance bill I am engaging with. It was broken down and highly publicised that I know most items by heart. Especially those that affect regular Kenyans like us. Could we make every other thing this consistent? We perish for lack of knowledge and many have thrived on this that they would not want it to change.

My wish is to know every single thing that impacts us on any level as citizens. We left it to these leaders to represent us but they ended up representing themselves and their houses. If you voted yes to this bill, what a shame to have you in that house. What a big big shame.

For the lives that were lost in this battle, I am greatly sorry. You did not have to die and your people did not have to lose you, not like this.

Your lives will not be in vain. Your legacy will continue as freedom fighters from our oppressors.

We will not relent in anger. We will not seat and wait for things to get better. We will make them better.

To Help

You can make donations for the injured and towards families of those who died here:Mchanga

You can also follow Boniface Mwangi on all social media platforms for updates.