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EXPERT COMMENT

Efforts to co-opt opposition and externalize blame are familiar tools in Kenyan politics, but may be ill-equipped to address the demands of a new youth protest phenomenon and the realities of Kenya’s fiscal struggles.

Protests led by Kenya’s ‘Gen Z’ population continue to exert pressure on President William Ruto as he approaches the end of his second year in office.

Demonstrations began in June, initially targeted at austerity-led tax increases but swiftly expanded to address widening societal inequality and perceived government apathy. Popular anger at brazen public displays of wealth among Kenya’s political elite and a president seen as focused more on his international profile than domestic challenges has been further fuelled by a state security response that has seen at least 50 demonstrators killed.

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