Kagombe: Gen Z must move beyond protests and take political power
By Kenneth Mwenda, July 9, 2026Gatundu South MP GG Kagombe has challenged young Kenyans, particularly members of Generation Z, to move beyond expressing dissatisfaction with the government and actively participate in politics if they want to influence the country’s future.
Kagombe said the increased interest among young people in politics after the 2024 Gen Z protests was a positive development but argued that previous generations of young Kenyans had played active roles in political struggles at much earlier ages.
Speaking during an interview on K24TV’s Grind and Glory on July 9, 2026, Kagombe said young people had a responsibility to participate in elections and civic affairs instead of leaving political decisions to older generations.
“The young people of this country will be held to account for not participating in politics, for not taking their civic duties seriously, for not participating in elections,” Kagombe said.
He argued that the low participation of young voters aged between 18 and 27 in the 2022 General Election showed that many young Kenyans had not fully embraced their role in shaping the country’s leadership.
According to Kagombe, there was nothing unusual about Gen Z becoming involved in political activism, saying previous generations of young people had also led movements that shaped Kenya’s history.
“There is nothing new, there is nothing unique about those people called Gen Zs. Every struggle in every country has been done by young people,” he said.
The MP cited the Mau Mau uprising, Kenya’s independence struggle, the push for multiparty democracy and the 2010 Constitution as examples where young people played key roles.
He said many leaders who fought for political change started their activism while still in their 20s, adding that young people had historically taken responsibility for demanding reforms.
Kagombe also recalled his own involvement in political activism during the push for the 2005 constitutional referendum, saying he was 21 years old at the time.
“When we were creating the new Constitution in 2005, I was barely 21. We were in the streets, we were the people pushing for banana, and others were pushing for orange,” he said, referring to the political sides during the referendum campaigns.
He added that several young leaders, including politicians who later rose to national prominence, were actively involved in political movements while they were below 25 years old.
Power needs strategy
The Gatundu South MP said young people should not assume that change would happen without their direct involvement.
“There should be nothing for us without us. There should be nothing for the youth without the youth. But nobody will come and wake you up in your slumber,” Kagombe said.
“Power is not granted, power is not given. Power is taken.”
However, Kagombe questioned whether the Gen Z movement that emerged after the 2024 protests had a clear political strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He said previous political movements combined public pressure with organisation and participation in electoral politics, arguing that the current movement had generated debate but lacked a clear plan for political action.
“I have been looking at the strategy of that Gen Z group, and I don’t see it. Politics is not private. Politics is all public. There are no surprises in politics,” he said.
Kagombe argued that if Gen Z wanted to influence the 2027 elections, the movement needed to produce leadership and a political direction.
“I would have imagined Gen Z would have given us one candidate,” he said, adding that the movement had not produced a presidential candidate since the 2024 protests.
He questioned whether replacing President William Ruto would automatically solve the country’s problems, asking what alternative leadership would emerge from the movement.
The MP also criticised attempts by some politicians and activists to associate themselves with the Gen Z movement, saying young people should be careful about individuals seeking to use their frustrations for political gain.
The comments came as Kagombe also spoke about the 2027 political contest in Gatundu South, where he welcomed Moses Kuria’s bid to reclaim the seat, saying he was confident of defeating his predecessor should they face each other in the UDA nominations.