BBC OS Conversations: Kenya’s Gen Z protesters

The Documentary Podcast

Like many countries, Kenya is struggling with a cost of living crisis and how to balance the books. The government’s answer was a plan to raise taxes, in what was called the Finance Bill, and this created a spark for protests across the country. According to estimates by the state-funded rights commission, 39 people have been killed in those demonstrations. Parliament was set on fire and hundreds were arrested. Many of those protesters are in their 20s, from what is known as Generation Z. Ultimately, President Ruto said he would not go ahead with tax increases, and he would listen to the country’s youth - but the protests continue. Host James Reynolds brings together several Gen Z protesters to discuss what is making them so angry.