Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the 32nd president of the US, the longest-serving.  

He faced the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II and their consequences. Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves.  

He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.  

He proceeded to implement a sweeping New Deal that ushered in the US global economic, financial, cultural and military hegemony since 1945. 

Kenya’s independence generation leaders had a political philosophy and vision of a highly centralised state and state-controlled economy.

This generation dismembered the progressive Independent Constitution to realise their political desire and vision.

After 60 Years of a highly-centralised state and economy, it is a historic moment for a new generation of leaders to define a new political philosophy and vision for now and future Kenya. 

The progressive and transformational Constitution of Kenya 2010 reimagined and reconfigured the country. Its principles and values reflect the past journey and cast the vision for the future of the country based on the values of equality, inclusion, participation, openness and sustainability. 

Kenya is at a political and generational crossroads. The country is facing severe problems of worsened poverty, increased inequalities, very low economic productivity, large unemployment and low trust in government.

The challenges in the country’s economy have, over time, been worsened by bad political decisions that have adversely affected economic outcomes. 

The Gen Z protests of June 2024 were a pivotal moment in the country in ushering in a new movement for radical change. It was not a passing cloud but the beginning of the seismic change.

The world is in turmoil. The old order is facing its demise. Every time such a global eventuality happens, its domino effects reverberate locally. 

Kenya is at a pivotal moment to imaginatively and with a unity of purpose, redefine its economic and political landscape for the 21st century.

The current conjuncture defined by Gen Z presents an opportunity to reset the country’s new political, economic and security order.

It is an opportunity to build a new, inclusive economy that benefits all Kenyans. This is a moment for a permanent and decisive break with the past. 

While the rejection of the Finance Bill was a central focus of the protests, the demonstrations by Gen Z were fuelled by a broader range of grievances and a desire for systemic change.

The bill served as a catalyst, but the protests reflected a deeper discontent with the state of the economy, perceived government corruption, and a lack of accountability. 

State betrayal 

The fight against the Finance Bill was about more than just a failed economic policy; it was a battle for their future. Gen Z feel betrayed by a government that promised change but delivered disappointment.

The protests were not just against the punitive Finance Bill, but against a system rigged against them.  

This is a rigged system against the Kenyan people in every sphere of life, from the economy, health, education, livelihoods, governance, and opportunities.

In everything, Kenyans are suffocated. They cannot breathe. They believe they can create a new path, where their voices are heard and their futures safeguarded 

Gen Z protests marked the beginning of a new chapter in Kenya’s history, written by a generation that refuses to accept the status quo.

As they march, they carry the dreams of a brighter tomorrow. The first three words in the 2010 Constitution of Kenya, “We the People,” capture the foundational principle that the government derives its powers from the consent of the governed, whom it exists to serve. 

Unfortunately, the current extractive political, economic and security system is outmoded. It has irreparably run its course. It must face a root and branch reset.

It is the end of 62 years of human and economic deprivation for Kenyan people. This is not working with the system. No! It is a political and economic seismic change in the system.

GEN Z are about uprooting and changing the extractive system that has dehumanised, deprived and brutalised Kenyan people in their millions. 

Gen Z are propelling the path for the emergence of an alternative leadership for Kenya. The building blocks of vision and philosophy of this alternative leadership are outlined in the 2010 Constitution of Kenya inter alia: principles of sovereignty of people, primacy of the Constitution, social and economic rights, devolution and dispersal of powers and resources, equal society and public expenditure guaranteeing equitable development, fair taxation and ethical governance. 

The centre of gravity of Kenya’s old politics of regional kingpins and ethnic blocs has significantly shifted. The People of Kenya are hungering for a transformative 21st-century system.

After the political democracy era, it is an economic democracy century. 

Human dignity 

Gen Z are sending clear messages. Our choices are human freedom and human dignity, clean and efficient governance, and bold and forward-thinking leadership.

Our purpose is to serve our people and their interests; guard and extend their human freedoms; satisfy basic needs and uplift Kenyan people from a state of despair and economic poverty; and strengthen our country to effectively and efficiently compete globally.

We will democratise our economy, guarantee human dignity and protect human freedoms. We will build a stronger, better and prouder Kenya. 

Gen Z are concerned with better living standards. The world has changed. The old order must die.  It must be wiped out. We must end transactional dealship politics.

We must end the parasitic, predatory and cruel leadership. They want leadership that is authentic and less about power but more about empowerment. It is a time for a new generation of leadership. 

Gen Z are saying that the country has had a national decline rather than national greatness. It has been competition between private interests rather than the public good, while the geopolitics, economics, demographics and security dynamics of the world have significantly shifted.

The world is in a new era of great power competition in diplomatic, economic, security, to technology. We live in a world with unprecedented challenges and equally with unmatched opportunities.

The world production hubs have fundamentally changed. We are in the knowledge and technology age. Tools of yesterday cannot meet the needs of today and tomorrow. 

Parting shot by Gen Z: We are in the midst of a historic and fundamental transition in the future direction of our country. We must dismantle the economic and political colonial state we inherited at independence. We must chart a new radical course. We are beyond the business-as-usual era. This is the moment for bold forward forward-looking leadership and a new system order. 

The writer is a Transitional Justice and Human Security Fellow