It was so quiet on Thursday that it was almost like a public holiday in Nairobi. Many people stayed home for fear of violence while police mounted roadblocks to stop demonstrators from reaching the city.
The Gen Z demos now face diminishing returns. The early peaceful demos in June succeeded in getting President Ruto to withdraw the Finance Bill and its tax rises. The later, more violent, demos have achieved little apart from accelerating the rapprochement between Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga and the reconstitution of the Cabinet.
So Gen Z is at a watershed with its demos. It has no leaders, its demands are increasingly amorphous, and it is losing support on the streets (although maybe not in people's hearts).
What is the way forward for Gen Z? People sympathise with the general demand for better governance and an end to corruption but they need something more specific.
They can form a political party (even though the Registrar of Political Parties does not want to allocate the Gen Z name). They can choose leaders to articulate their demands. And they can contest the elections in 2027.
Quote of the day: "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth."
Henry David Thoreau
The American writer published his memoir Walden on August 9, 1854
