One bold and new generation of young Kenyan protesters don enta streets to force di goment stop some of dia unpopular tax proposals.
Wetin start as anger on TikTok about one controversial finance bill don rocket into a revolution – and no be political parties organise dem.
Di goment of President William Ruto manage to do wetin generations of politicians for di East African nation bin no wan do – unite plenty Kenyans beyond ethnicity and party.
On Tuesday, hundreds of trainer-wearing protesters, wey feel say Kenyans dey already overtaxed wit little to show for am, face police wey fire tear gas to march enta di capital, Nairobi.
Dem bring di city central business district to a standstill.
Wit dia smartphones, dem do live-stream of di intense confrontations wit officers.
Di protests, wey dem call “occupy parliament”, bin dey co-ordinated and mobilised on social media as opposed to those wey politicians dey lead and sponsor.
Organisers encourage fellow protesters to wear black clothes, but some still turn up in ripped jeans and stylish hairdos.
Di youthful demonstrators, wey dem popularly dey call Gen Zs – in reference to di term wey dey generally use to describe pipo dem born during di late 1990s and early 2000s – show up in huge numbers, vowing to ensure say dia discontent no go end wit just a hashtag or meme.
“Na we be di Gen Zs, we dey able to mobilise oursefs. We use TikTok as a space to not only bring young pipo come to protest but to educate dem on di why,” na so protester Zaha Indimuli tell journalists.
Many of dem dey demonstrate for di first time and wave signs like “Do Not Force The Taxes On Us” , while odas dey chant: “Ruto must go”.
“I dey here dey slave for a kontri I love. Dis na di first time I dey do dis becos my parents don old and dem no fit do am any more,” na so Ken Makilya, a 24-year-old university student, tell di BBC.
Di hashtags wey dem use pressure MPs and rally protesters na “#OccupyParliament” and “#RejectFinanceBill2024”.
“Dis na my first demonstration. I hope say e go be di last. I hope say tins go change after dis,” na so Naserian Kasura, wey dey oppose di proposal to tax sanitary pads.
Di protesters’ efforts to march to parliament bin dey thwarted as police use water cannon to block dem.
“We dey arrested but no let dem get to you please, dey go to parliament,” na so Hanifa Farsafi, wey reportedly be one of di organisers, post on X, formerly Twitter.
More dan 200 young protesters bin dey arrested but dem release some of dem later afta lawyers go di police stations wia dem detain dem.
“I no dey go, I no go co-operate, why you dey arrest me?” Na so one protester tok for one viral video as she refuse to enta one police vehicle.
Those wey no make am to di streets help to spread di word by sharing messages, pictures and videos on social media.
As di protest lack any clear leadership, di police find am hard to target those wey dey behind am. Dem ban di march on a technicality even though di protesters say dem meet all requirements.
And unlike political anti-goment protests wey don happun bifor, e no dey characterised by looting, destruction of property and stone-throwing.
No political affiliations or ethnic alignments dey mentioned – just a clear determination by di protesters make goment hear dia voice.
Several hours afta di demonstrators mobilise, di presidency appear to bow to di pressure and announce say dem go scrap some of di most controversial provisions wey dey di bill, including a proposed 16% value-added tax (VAT) on bread.
“We don listen to di view of Kenyans,” Kuria Kimani, di chairman of parliament finance committee, tok for one press briefing wey President Ruto attend wit lawmakers for di ruling coalition.
Changes to di finance bill bin dey driven by a “need to protect Kenyans from increased cost of living”, Mr Kimani add.
Di goment bin don defend di tax increase, wey bin dey projected to raise $2.7bn (£2.1bn), say dem gatz to cut reliance on external borrowing.
Oda proposed taxes wey dem don grow include di ones on cooking oil, mobile money services and on motor vehicles, wey critics say for hit di insurance industry.
MPs now dey debate di revised bill and dem dey expected to vote on am next Tuesday.
Di opposition, wey bin no participate in di demonstrations, want di withdrawal of di entire bill, say e dey “punitive”.
Anoda hashtag di used campaigners use na “#unfollowRuto”, wey encourage pipo to stop following di president on X in a bid to pressure am to drop di bill.
Dem don vow to kontinu wit di protests for Nairobi and oda cities until dem drop di bill altogeda.
A few days ago, presidential adviser David Ndii bin dismiss online efforts wey start on TikTok around two weeks ago, but following Tuesday show of strength, im don accept dia achievement.
Following di publication of di draft bill, TikTokers begin make video explainers wey bin dey widely shared on oda platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and X – wey go trend for days helped by pushes from Kenyan influencers.
One tactic wey don force MPs to take notice na di list of dia phone numbers wey dem don share across social media with di message “SMS your MP”.
MP Stephen Mule tell local media say im phone dey spammed wit more dan 30,000 messages from young Kenyans wey dey ask am to reject di bill.
Oda legislators also don complain say dia phones don become practically unusable becos of di number of texts dem dey receive.
Local media also don pick up di online conversations, wey increase di voices of di protest and issues about di cost of living.
Some urge veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, wey don be di face of anti-goment protests for years, to stay away from Tuesday march.
Im agree and post on social media: “I be very proud father today! Well done to all those wey bravely stand up for dia rights!”
Mutuma Mathiu, one veteran journalist, say Tuesday events don shift di dynamics of Kenyan politics: “Protest politics find a new fulcrum and a new and different generation of Kenyans find dia rather loud voice.”
Popular political commentator Pauline Njoroge agree: “Dem no just dey brave, dem also dey very cool and well spoken. Today youth-led protest na di most peaceful yet very successful.”
Prof Kivutha Kibwana, a law scholar and a former county governor, say make dem hold tok-tok for im post on X: “Di most dangerous tin for a goment to do na to declare war on dia youth.”
Dr Willy Mutunga, a former chief justice, said young pipo across di world get a common enemy for “dia respective ruling classes, and e warn say : “Di uprising dey on di horizon.”
Di goment for long don get fears say social media fit dey used to promote discord and so dem don push for stricter oversight by regulators.
Di online collective known as Kenyans on X (KOX) dey known for calling out issues and Kenya dey among di kontries with di highest TikTok usage rate worldwide.
In March, di interior minister threaten to restrict di use of TikTok, wey im accuse say dey spread malicious content.
But di protesters no intend to dey intimidated.
“We no dey scared, we no dey moved and dis na only di beginning of di revolution. We dey come, we dey many and in good numbers,” na so Ms Indimuli tok from di sidelines of Tuesday’s demonstration.
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