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Radio personality Maina Kageni has opposed the government’s call for the Kenyan Gen Z movement to elect leaders for dialogue with the government.
In a message posted on his X account, media personality Maina Kageni expressed that any dialogue addressing the issues raised by Gen Z should occur online, where it originated. He emphasized that this approach ensures the voices of young Kenyans, who are the true owners of this narrative and the country, are heard.
“This entire thing started online…. Any dialogue or conversation or discussion or deliberation or whatever…. MUST be done online, where young Kenyans, the true owners of this narrative, the owners of this country can individually have their opinion heard….. anything else, Apana,” Maina wrote, making it clear he opposes having only a few representatives engage in dialogue.
Calls to Gen Zs to remain leaderless or risk politicians hijacking the narrative
Several social media commentators have opined that the Gen Z movement, which played a significant role in pushing President William Ruto, should remain leaderless and united to achieve its goals, including greater accountability from government officials.
“GEN Zs. You are a specific group, defined by age set and nothing else. You are united by similar interests, desires, challenges, aspirations, motivations, etc. Don’t allow yourselves to be grouped and asked to appoint leaders into some amorphous committee or commission. Unless you want to be finished or to finish yourselves,” cautioned Wahome Thuku.
Activists Boniface Mwangi and Miguna Miguna have echoed this sentiment, urging the Gen Z movement to remain leaderless and inclusive. They argue that this approach will prevent the political class from hijacking the cause or compromising its leaders. By engaging everyone, the movement can maintain its integrity and ensure that all voices are heard, safeguarding their objectives from political interference.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has also cautioned Kenyan Gen Z against heeding the government’s request to appoint leaders to engage in dialogue, citing past instances such as the National Dialogue Committee process, which has yet to produce any tangible results more than a year later.
This warning comes at a time when several individuals who supported the #RejectFinanceBill protests have faced accusations of receiving money to change their stance.
