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Paper short abstract

Kenya witnessed sustained Gen Z protests spanning several weeks between June and August 2024. This paper examines how and when online momentum becomes offline action, the political and institutional factors that shape outcomes and the organisational tactics that keep youth movements alive.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines the rise and evolution of Gen Z-led movements in Kenya, focusing on their strategies, outcomes, and post-mobilisation trajectories. Drawing on key informant interviews with youth across several regions in Kenya, the analysis is organised around three interlinked dimensions: (1) the mechanisms of mobilisation and coordination, including the role of hashtags, viral content, and influencer networks; (2) the political, institutional, and discursive factors that shaped the outcomes of these protests; and (3) the pathways of post-mobilisation engagement, whether through electoral participation, alliances with civil society and professional bodies, or sustained extra-institutional activism. Situated within broader debates on youth political attitudes and participation, the study asks: How do young people act and engage in an era of upheaval? Whose voices dominate digital spaces, and how do resource inequalities reproduce hierarchies within Gen Z-led movements? How do political factors shape protest outcomes? Findings reveal that while digital platforms enabled rapid mobilisation, resource disparities privileged urban youth and constrained marginalised groups. Protest outcomes were further shaped by state repression, elite co-optation, and competing narratives that alternately delegitimised youth activism. Despite these challenges, decentralised networks and hybrid online-offline strategies helped sustain activism beyond peak protest cycles. These insights contribute to understanding the opportunities and limitations of youth-driven mobilisation in Africa and its implications for democratic transformation.