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A look at the last five weeks of the Gen Z movement presents a seminal lesson of what a people united and resolute can achieve. In just a short time, these gallant Kenyans have managed what our MPs could not do – send Cabinet secretaries, some with a checkered past and dubious integrity, home.

This generation, albeit with the help of the earlier generation that has either overtly or covertly supported their civil dissent, has shown us that it is

possible to stand up, to mobilise the sovereign power and say no to bad leadership. They have done this by raising a consciousness never witnessed before. A consciousness that puts all of us in a position to think of now and act in our interest even if it means antagonising the establishment.

Today, were it not for the never-say-die attitude of Gen Z, we would be under the yoke of a punitive tax regime choked by the opulence of our leaders. As one of the young people puts it, we would be paying taxes like Singapore while living the life of some war-ravaged Global South country as our leaders amass wealth and slide easily to dollar billionaire status overnight.

Interestingly, even in the midst of such uncharted terrain, the political class has unleashed the same script, the same plot, and, of course, the same actors and protagonists to boot. While the action is yet to unfold, the past reminds us of an unflattering tradition of coming together of the political class for self-preservation. Maybe we should remind the political class that the script might be the same, the actors and protagonist the same old ‘good politicians’, but they are poised to enact the show to a totally different audience. So far, the measures taken amount to nothing out of this world. With the new consciousness, it is safe to note that probably the protest will continue because this is not an audience that will sit back and applaud a mediocre stage play.

Well, there is probably a lot that has happened behind the scenes, and a few politicians have, through innuendos here and there, talked about savage political machinations. But then when politicians who swore never to work together conveniently break ranks and bury the hatchet, it is almost always not so much about the people as it is about themselves. However, these are uncharted paths characterised by a restless generation that prides itself on having all the time to hit the streets and bring government and businesses to a standstill.

On the other hand is a political class that has come together with a tradition of a fairly high proclivity to amass a war chest for the next election. Two realities put the politicians in a very precarious situation but to the advantage of the citizenry. As citizens, we are in a win-win situation, and the political class has only two choices whose consequences serve us either way.

 First, the pressure from Gen Z and their willingness to invoke Articles 1 and 37 of the Constitution and hit the streets means that the politicians will be on toes to deliver. I suppose the days for flaunting opulence are in the past now and our leaders have got no choice but to work magic if they are to survive the breath of consciousness ushered in by Gen Z.

Some were crying their voices hoarse when their eminent appointment looked like fizzling in the midst of behind-the-scenes power plays. Very soon, they will find themselves in the deep end.

The accountability threshold has been lowered, and expectations raised. If this broad-based government addresses the debt crisis, accountability, corruption, high cost of living, and extravagance, and saves enough to invest in job creation for our young people, no one will begrudge the political class.

However, if the new government continues with the age-old tradition of getting into arrangements and plundering public resources with a view to winning the next election, our win as Kenyans will even be bigger.

Bigger because we will have the best chance to wipe out a fairly large pool of the political class out of our polity. This duality of advantageous possibilities suggests that maybe the exuberance of Gen Z and the never-say-die attitude should not only be applauded but also harnessed strategically.

— The writer is a PhD student in Political Communication