“The future is in your hands. And the future is now.” Senegalese national football team Aliou Cissé told several adolescents in February 2023 when he toured southern Senegal with Unicef.

He continued: “On this journey called life, there will always be difficulties, there will be people who will continue to discourage you, but as long as you believe in yourself, you can succeed.”

One year plus later, in Kenya, Generation Z is emerging as a formidable force with their audacious spirit reshaping the country’s future.

The recent peaceful demonstrations countrywide against the 2024 Finance Bill is clear testimony of the fearless and unbeatable nature of what they call GenZ.

The truth is that this generation is united by the internet and cannot be controlled and neither do they care about tribalism. Do you know they have done set books in high school that talk about taxes and poor leadership especially in Africa?

These include Kigogo, The Inheritance, Tumbo Lisiloshiba na Hadithi Nyingine, Mustahiki Meya, Chozi La Heri and others. The theme on these set books was taxes and poor governance by leaders who act like puppets. The truth is, the education system had already prepared them to be leaders.

Mercy Gachenge is a final-year Media and  Communication student at Rongo University