

#March2Parliament: Africa’s Youth Take to the Streets for Their Future
On International Youth Day (August 12), we look to East Africa: Here, the young Gen Z generation is rising up against their governments – including in Kenya and Uganda.
“It’s our only way to make our voices heard,” John Mbaziira told Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) in an interview. The 28-year-old, who works as a technical trainer, often finds himself on the frontlines of protests in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. John and his fellow activists are fighting against corruption in the country, abuse of power, and, not least, for the resignation of the controversial Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among.
The actions are mainly led by young people from Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2010), often organised through social media channels, such as under the hashtag #March2Parliament. The protests primarily target the misuse of tax money to support the luxurious lifestyles of government officials and the lack of access to education and better healthcare for the population, explains Mbaziira. “In a country with 45 million people, 78 percent of whom are youth, this group is directly and indirectly heavily affected.”
Starting in Kenya, Uganda Follows
The wave began in Kenya. In May, a new tax law was introduced in parliament. Among other things, as reported by “Deutschlandfunk“, it included new taxes on essential goods like bread, cooking oil, and sanitary pads. President William Ruto justified the reforms by citing the country’s high debt, but the younger generation accuses Ruto and his government of being out of touch with the social reality and economic situation of large parts of the population, as Joachim Paul of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Nairobi told “Deutschlandfunk.”
Brian Otieno, a reporter on the ground during the protests in Nairobi, told DSW: “With alarming youth unemployment and a lack of jobs, the younger population feels neglected by a system that favours the rich. The youth see the protests as a way to express their frustration and demand accountability and change from their leadership.”
The Speaker of Parliament and the Stolen Iron Sheets
A similar situation is unfolding in Uganda, where protests and demonstrations soon followed, many of which have been directed at Speaker of Parliament Anita Among. According to reports by “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ), she is allegedly involved in a scandal over stolen iron sheets. These sheets were intended for housing for those in need as part of a government-funded project but ended up in the possession of politicians and their families, according to the “FAZ.”
In Kenya, activists have already achieved significant success: President Ruto has not only withdrawn the tax law but also dismissed his cabinet. However, the road to this turnaround was bloody. Security forces used tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition against the protesters, leading to dozens of deaths in the country. In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for four decades, deployed police and even the military against protesters. According to “Deutschlandfunk,” 104 people have been arrested, and there have also been reports of mistreatment.
But even this hasn’t deterred the activists, emphasised John Mbaziira in his interview with DSW: “Despite the threat of violence and oppression, the rest of society is also expressing their support for the protests.” Ultimately, these people share the same anger and the feeling that this exploitation must finally come to an end—just like those leading the demonstrations.
There have also been early reports of protests from Ghana and Nigeria in the west of the continent. Some media outlets are already calling it an “African Spring.” Professor Macharyam Monyeny from the University of Nairobi believes a paradigm shift is taking place. “These are people who are well-educated and were promised that things would get better,” he explained to “Deutschlandfunk.” “Now they’re out of school, but things haven’t improved—they’ve gotten worse. And it’s not due to natural disasters, but an incompetent government and bad policies. That is what they are reacting to.”
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