Social Media is the New Battleground for Kenya’s Political Future

A week before the recent Kenyan protests started, the streets of Nairobi were quiet, but a digital storm was brewing. Young Kenyans armed with smartphones were slowly launching a revolution from their screens.

It started on TikTok when Gen Z and millennials suddenly turned their attention to the looming Finance Bill. They dissected the 300+ page bill, explaining its implications in local languages like Dholuo, Ekegusii, and Kikuyu.

“TikTok was the single greatest influencer of the #RejectFinanceBill2024 conversation, with videos reaching over 500 million views,” William Dekker reported in an article on Citizen Digital.

But it didn’t stop there. The movement spilled over to Twitter (now X), WhatsApp, and Instagram. Hashtags like #RejectFinanceBill2024 and #OccupyParliament amassed over 25 million mentions in just three weeks.

One particularly memorable X Spaces meeting drew over 110,000 participants, lasting well into the night as Millenials and Gen Z led discussions on the way forward.

“We can’t be quiet, church, we can’t,” a Kenyan mother declared during a church service in a video that went viral. “It’s not about Gen Z. It’s about our lives. We don’t want to talk about the unholy marriage between the church and the government.” 

This was just one of hundreds of powerful moments captured and shared across social media. Videos of citizens bravely facing off against police brutality ignited outrage and solidarity. Photos of the political class living lavish lifestyles at the expense of citizens only fueled the rage of Kenyans.

Sharing and retweeting these media may seem inconsequential, but it did have a huge impact on rallying Kenyans to come out and protest. 

Each share and retweet created a wave of awareness and anger. What seemed like simple online actions snowballed into a movement. 

Soon, Kenyans weren’t just tweeting—they were marching.

AI Joins the Fight

Kenyans used social media and AI to educate each other about the bill. For example, Kelvin Onkundi, a tech-savvy activist, created the Finance Bill GPT, an AI model to answer questions about the bill. 

“Reading 300 pages is a lot of work,” Onkundi explained. “I have updated the Finance Bill GPT once more with the report by the departmental committee on Finance and National Planning. It will give you answers to your queries plus any recommendations by the said committee.”

However, the digital revolution had its challenges. 

Misinformation spread rapidly, with unverified reports of violence causing panic before being debunked. Yet, the same platforms that allowed false information to spread also enabled quick fact-checking.

Perhaps the most heartwarming part was how Kenyans used social media to help fellow citizens. 

When protesters were injured and killed, online campaigns raised over 14 million Kenyan shillings through M-Changa Africa to support affected families.

Social media has become more than just a platform for sharing memes or catching up with friends. For Kenya’s youth, it’s a powerful tool for political engagement, education, and change.