Saba Saba spirit: Former MP Kathangu says Gen Z protests about survival, not just freedom

Former Runyenjes MP Njeru Kathangu has drawn a stark contrast between Kenya’s current wave of youth-led protests and the pro-democracy movement of the 1990s, saying the new generation is driven not by ideology, but by the urgent need for economic survival.

Speaking during a Citizen TV townhall meeting on Sunday ahead of the planned Saba Saba protests, Kathangu, a veteran of Kenya’s second liberation struggle, acknowledged the growing frustration among young Kenyans and warned that political leaders were ignoring a generation in crisis.

“There is a very big difference between what the young people are doing today and what we were doing in 1990,” Kathangu said.

“Then, we were fighting to reinstate a free-thinking society because we had lost it. These young people today are fighting for economic survival; they have been economically denied.”

Kathangu described the current economic climate as one that offers “no hope collectively and individually,” forcing young Kenyans to reimagine how they coexist and survive amid issues like high unemployment and rising cost of living.

“Politicians must also think about why they are in office; the citizens want to live a good life and be happy,” he said.

“As leaders, we are going to leave office and join the other citizens. Our hope will be in the young minds. If we have hopes and dreams for this country, then our hope is those young people you are eliminating in the streets.”

He appealed to the police and the political leadership over their response to street demonstrations, at a time when both have been criticized for excessive use of force on unarmed protesters, as well as suppressing dissent.

“I remind the police, who are our brothers, our ministers, and the President, that they should not kill our potential.”

In Kathangu’s view, Kenya’s current young generation is fighting for something Saba Saba has not achieved, five decades later.

“We must enhance our struggle to be able to achieve the first intentions of Saba Saba. I coordinated the Saba Saba activities of July 7th, 1990… What I see before me is a beautiful promise of where Kenya is going,” the former MP said.

The townhall also featured lawyer Kidi Mwaga, who praised the Gen-Z movement's disruptive impact on Kenya’s political status quo.

“One thing that the Gen Z revolution has achieved is that it has completely appended the politics of patronage,” said Mwaga.

“As young people, we shall still continue to push to ensure that in a small way, we help birth the Kenya we want.”

The townhall aired on the eve of planned Saba Saba demonstrations, called by youth groups and civil society organisations demanding accountability, social justice, and an end to police brutality.

The Saba Saba movement, named after the date July 7, holds a symbolic place in Kenya’s democratic history: Kenyans took to the streets for the approval of multiparty democracy, leading to the repealing of Section 2A of the constitution.

Before then, Kenya was a one-party state under Moi’s Kenya African National Union (KANU) regime.

The 1990 protests were violently suppressed, but they eventually helped pave the way for political reforms and multiparty elections.

This year, the anniversary comes amid growing public discontent against Ruto’s regime over the rising cost of living and a spate of police crackdowns on government critics and street protests, many of which have resulted in deaths and injuries.