THE CHANGE EXPECTED IN REVERSE: GEN Z'S FADING STRENGTH

Photo Courtesy 

Waking up to find the sun rising from the West and not East at dawn is enough to signal a whirl of change in the cosmological history. As a product of imagination it can be, who knew Gen Z would emerge as with a wave of change in a sundry of generations unexpectedly. 

With this wave, the political sphere in every country worldwide is experiencing an overhaul. 

Recently, protests have marred different countries with calls for change. 

Bangladesh, Nepal, Morocco, Madagascar, Kenya are some of the countries that have at least tasted the pinch of the GenZ protests, while some of the protests have resulted in a change in the political sphere of the affected countries others have left less impact with mission and vision unreached due to fanciful impulse. 

Generation Z, globally have not only expressed their anger through anger through protests and demonstrations, but also in politics where some of the African countries like Seychelles and Malawi have had an unpredictable moments thereby falsifying ever existing narratives that it is not easy to have a one-term president. 

Kenyan youths have engendered their hope as they believe it is possible to make the current government a one-term just like those other African nations which have made it reality to make a politician one-term.

In Kenya, wantam, half-term, and tutam shrouds speeches of politicians. Some of these phrases have been lexicalized and are no longer new. A tug of words exist as each sect; wantam vowing to outshine tutam and tutam yearning to cling to power. But is it really possible?

A fortnight ago, the electoral bod, IEBC, began the registration of voters with the tagline #CVR (Continuous Voter Registration).

This session specifically targets new voters who are assumed to be majorly youths and by extension the greater GenZ populace.

However, statistics from the body indicate how low voter turnout is being experienced even as the programme is still going on.

Targeting approximately 6 million new voters while so far those who have registered are hardly exceeding 20,000 newly registered voters.

Lower rates of registration reflects the attitudes unregistered voters have towards elections.

Gen Zs have so long been whining of millennials and Generation X being the poor decision makers that ultimately affect them, and this round they have the opportunity to showcase their gust for change.

The energy is fading, not unless it said they are waiting for the last minute rush, while it is still early to judge, it is better to reminde the Gen Zs that it is not by theory that a leader is voted out but by numbers and numbers count when that day reaches.

Reflectively talking of Kenya heading the same way other African countries have done a marvelous job by sending a sitting government home is not a walk in the park. Walk the talk.