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Paper short abstract

This paper examines the activities of the Kenyan 'Gen Z' youth movement on X (formerly Twitter), which have transformed the rules of political accountability and also served as a space of organizing and sustaining collective memory of state repression.

Paper long abstract

The 2024 Kenyan Generation Z, often called ‘Gen Z’, continues to shape the nation’s debates on political leadership. The youth-led digital movement, which surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) under the hashtags #RejectFinanceBill2024, #RutoMustGo, and #OccupyParliament, emerged to protest the unpopular Finance Bill 2024. These generational protests by young people disrupted the country’s activities and key state institutions like Parliament, the Supreme Court, and other significant public bodies. In response, the government reacted with harsh police measures, including live ammunition, tear gas, and abductions, resulting in numerous fatalities. Despite this, the group’s persistence demonstrated that it is possible to pressure the government and demand accountability from it. Whilst the country’s leadership appears to have quelled its street demonstrations by discouraging some youths from participating, the movement remains active under the hashtag #RutoMustGo. It continues to be a platform for demanding political accountability and remembering the rebellion and state repression that occurred. Using the qualitative method of thematic analysis of the hashtag #RutoMustGo, this paper examines how the digital youth movement has changed the rules of political accountability in Kenya—something past civil society groups and political opposition have struggled to achieve—and how the movement’s actions are becoming increasingly difficult for the government to control amid crackdowns and repression.