The Gen Z movement is distancing itself from the acts of violence, robberies, and vandalism witnessed during the recent anti-tax protests, claiming that goons have infiltrated the once-peaceful movement.
The demonstrations, which began as a demand that the government repeal the Finance Bill 2024, saw thousands of young Kenyans go to the streets.
According to activist Boniface Mwangi, the government had hired goons to cause havoc and reduce the movement's credibility.
Unlike the first and second Tuesday demonstrations, the demonstrators' appearance and demeanor and the deployment and outfitting of security personnel differed significantly. The impact was quickly felt on Nairobi's streets and beyond.
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"I had come to demonstrate like my fellow youth, but goons have been sent and they are destroying businesses and stealing phones," said a protester.
Business owners in Nairobi's central business district claim they have been obliged to protect their establishments from people who have entered the protests to rob and damage property.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) noted the protest's shifting face and spirit as early as Wednesday last week.
"We have noted the change in the demographic of the protesters, where as last week they were young and peaceful, it seems that other people from other sectors of life infiltrated the protest and turned them violent," KNHCR Chair Roseline Odede said.
