#kenya #protest
It is said that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow but in most African countries, the youths are not regarded as such. And, that is why leadership positions in the countries are usually occupied by old men who have been there for decades, with no sign of leaving. However, sometimes, when things are going haywire in the country because of the decisions of these old leaders, a fire is ignited in the hearts of the youths, and before anyone knows it, this fire has spread and grown to become a movement. This is exactly what is happening right now in Kenya. If you are not aware, a strong protest and demonstration is currently going on in Kenya, and this time it was not organized by adults but by a group of people in the country, generally known as Gen Z. Born between 1997 and 2012, Kenya’s Gen Z are taking the country by storm, reshaping the political landscape in Kenya and making every Kenya politician feel the heat. So, why exactly are they protesting?

Well, in Kenya the financial year runs from July to June. So, a finance bill has to be presented to parliament before the start of the new financial year. This bill lays out the government’s fiscal plans for the fiscal ahead. So, for the new financial year which will run from July 2024 to June 2025, the Kenya Parliament recently released the proposed finance bill. This bill included the government's plan to generate an extra $2.7 billion in taxes to reduce the budget deficit and state borrowing. Taxes are imposed on essential items including bread, vegetable oil, diapers, sanitary pads and other items. According to the reports, the government imposed these taxes on recommendation from the IMF and World Bank, which has been urging the Kenya government to cut deficits to obtain more funds. As you can imagine, Kenyans did not take the decision lightly and have called for the government to scrap the proposed tax increases, arguing that these will stifle the economy and further burden Kenyans who are already facing a cost-of-living crisis.

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