Kenya is a country with just over 50 million inhabitants and bathed by the Indian Ocean. Like any semi-colonial nation it suffers and struggles against the global crisis of capitalism, including those that occured in 2008-2009, 2019, the Covid epidemic, the food crisis as a result of the war in Ukraine, and as if that were not enough, it has also been affected by the consequences of climate disasters.
If we have this set of misfortunes bearing down on the Kenyan people, we also have a spectacular response from the mass movement, especially the youth. The fighting vanguard in other countries needs to know what is happening in Kenya.
It all started with the floods
The set of thirteen slums in the capital Nairobi, with more than 500,000 inhabitants and forming part of the Mathare complex near the Mathare and Getathuru rivers, was the scene of violence on the night of April 24. The floods left more than 200 dead and 200,000 homeless (almost half of Mathare’s population). At the end of the flood, homes and infrastructure were destroyed, in addition to the lack of basic resources. This and other weather events have become common, and the government has not bothered to prevent the consequences of these weather disasters.
A fortnight after the floods, on May 8, Mathare residents demonstrated against the demolition of flood-affected houses. The government said it would give $75 in compensation for each house demolished. It did not. The demonstration was harshly repressed by paramilitaries from the General Service Unit, which is also in Haiti.
From this demonstration came the slogan: “Let the cries of the marginalized not go unheeded like tears in the rain” [1].
Ruto presents a tax increase bill and the mobilizations begin
On June 18, the demonstrations against the tax increase to generate foreign currency and attend to the IMF debt began. William Ruto, current president and former member of the right-wing militia Youth for Kanu (YK92) during the Moi dictatorship, acted quickly and the repression began. On the first day, 200 people were arrested. On the 19th the demonstrations became massive and the repression increased with the use of live ammunition and the murder of young Rex Kanyike Masai.
Young people take the lead in the struggles
Africa is the continent where 70% of the population is under 30 years old. This fact contributes to the African diaspora due to economic migrations, refugees from dictatorships or fugitives from militias and wars. These young people are the spearhead in the fight against the cost of living, unemployment, dictatorships, etc. This was the case in South Africa with the “fees must fall”, against police repression in Nigeria, against the re-election of Mack Sall in Senegal, in the marches after the death of the musician Azagaia in Mozambique, against fuel increases in Angola, etc.
Kenya is no different. Young people intervened via social media under the hashtags #RejectFinanceBill2024 and #OccupyParliament. Following the death of activist Rex Kanyike, they launched the “Seven Days of Struggle” campaign with planned protests using the hashtags #OccupyStateHouse and #totalshutdown.
Against the pillars of the bourgeois state
The Kenyan youth, jobless, with high inflation, outraged by the repression in Mathare and knowing that their MPs and judges earn more than their counterparts in some G7 countries, went to the fight against the pillars of the bourgeois state. It invaded the National Assembly and the Supreme Court.
In fact, the youth, unconsciously, having no revolutionary leadership, rose up against the bourgeois state as a whole. Against the police, parliamentarians, judges and President Wiliam Ruto himself.
Stop, take a breath and see what the Kenyan youth did in one week
On June 25, they invaded and set fire to part of the National Assembly. In the process, they served themselves the food intended for the honorable deputies and senators. The symbol representing the authority of the parliament, a golden apple, was taken to a people’s assembly in a free zone away from the National Assembly.
The parliamentarians, cornered and intimidated, had to flee through a subway tunnel called “rota panya” or rat route. This was the best place for the rat deputies. When they approved the Finance Law, they were called voracious rats and only through the “panya route” they were able to flee.
The National Assembly was only the first stage. Then they invaded the Supreme Court building. They ransacked and destroyed part of the office of the Chief Justice, an ally of Wiliam Ruto and a member of Kenya Kwanza (KK), the ruling alliance. The office of the mayor of Nairobi was also set on fire, as well as the headquarters of political parties and the houses of parliamentarians who voted in favor of the Finance Bill.
The momentum and anger immediately spread throughout the country. There were seven days of struggles, which began on June 21 and lasted until June 27. The climax was on the 25th, which the youth jocularly called Super Tuesday when they invaded parliament.
Young Kenyans: Generation Z and self-organization
Most of the vanguard of these struggles call themselves Generation Z, that is, those born after 1995. The main characteristic of this movement is that they have no links with traditional organizations and that they used social networks to mobilize. By acting outside the union apparatuses or student organizations, they were able to escape the control of these bureaucratized organizations dependent on the bourgeois state.
If this autonomy allowed self-organization, on the other hand, it reduced participation and collective discussion of the directions of the movement and did not generate more solid organizations for the vanguard and for the development of the movement itself.
Three weeks of mobilizations. Ruto removes minister, advisors and attorney general from office
After three weeks of mobilizations, repression with dozens of deaths, kidnappings and arrests, Ruto was first forced to withdraw the bill that increased taxes, but the movement demanded much more. It demanded Ruto out and, in an attempt to save himself, Ruto fired his ministers, advisors and the Attorney General himself. Africa News described the changes as follows:
“Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday fired almost all his ministers and vowed to form a new government that will be wiry and efficient after weeks of protests against high taxes and poor governance. In a televised address, the president also fired the attorney general and said ministries will be administered by his permanent secretaries. Ruto said he made the decision after listening to the people and would form a broad-based government after consultations.“[2]
After the resignation of all ministers, young people recommit: Ruto out
On Tuesday July 7, after a month of struggles, the flame of anger was not extinguished. The youth took to the streets again with the slogan Out with Ruto. Once again, the repression was violent and that day another activist was killed, reaching the figure of 50 dead, according to data from Human Rights organizations.
The government threatens to ban demonstrations in Nairobi, the youth defy the government and new demonstrations are planned.
Some lessons to be learned from the Kenyan process
First of all, it is necessary to vindicate the process of struggles of these young people against the policies of public spending cuts, unemployment and inflation, and also against police violence present in the daily lives of young people.
The other element is to value the role of social media as an instrument of mobilization and, at the same time, to recognize their limits in the process of democratic and participative organization of the vanguard.
The other fundamental element is the elaboration of a program independent of the bosses and the government. In this regard, the few organizations, such as the Communist Party of Kenya, play a nefarious role in telling these young people that the central task is: Fatherland or Death! It is either Kenya for all or Kenya for none!
For us of the International Workers League, the central task is to oust the resource-robbing transnational corporations and the IMF. And to build a country for the workers, the youth and the poor people.
– All support to the struggle of the Kenyan youth!
– Prison and punishment of police and militiamen responsible for more than 50 deaths!
– Ruto out!
– Out with the transnational corporations and the IMF!
– For a government of the workers, the youth and the poor people!
Notes
[1] May the cries of the marginalized not go unnoticed like tears in the rain – https://ukombozireview.com/issue-17/may-the-cries-of-the-marginalised-not-go-unnoticed-like-tears-in-the-rain/
[2] Kenyan president dismisses all cabinet ministers after weeks of protests – https://www.africanews.com/2024/07/11/kenyan-president-dismisses-all-cabinet-ministers-after-weeks-of-protests/
