From broad-based to united opposition: How young women are shaping the 2027 General Election
Source: Nation Africa
On June 25, 2024, Kenya's streets became a battleground. Young people poured out of their homes, their universities and their uncertainties, and walked straight into tear gas, rubber bullets and, for some, death. The Finance Bill protests shook the country and, for a few electrifying days, gave it back to its youth.
What stood out that day, and in the days that followed, was not just the sheer number of young people who showed up, but the women who led the charge. They were at the front, inhaling tear gas and confronting police, on their phones organising, on social media rallying their peers to stay the course, and in front of cameras speaking truth to power.
Two years on, the conditions that produced 2024 have not gone away, and the calibre of young women who stood at the forefront of the demonstrations is not done. They have simply changed tack, organising differently, strategising behind the scenes and, increasingly, stepping directly into formal politics.
Now, with less than a year to the 2027 General Election, a new wave of young women is rising across the political spectrum, building their own platforms, speaking in their own voices and daring to imagine a Kenya where they are not just voters but decision-makers.
On June 25, 2024, Kenya's streets became a battleground. Young people poured out of their homes, their universities and their uncertainties, and walked straight into tear gas, rubber bullets and, for some, death. The Finance Bill protests shook the country and, for a few electrifying days, gave it back to its youth.
What stood out that day, and in the days that followed, was not just the sheer number of young people who showed up, but the women who led the charge. They were at the front, inhaling tear gas and confronting police, on their phones organising, on social media rallying their peers to stay the course, and in front of cameras speaking truth to power.
Two years on, the conditions that produced 2024 have not gone away, and the calibre of young women who stood at the forefront of the demonstrations is not done. They have simply changed tack, organising differently, strategising behind the scenes and, increasingly, stepping directly into formal politics.
Now, with less than a year to the 2027 General Election, a new wave of young women is rising across the political spectrum, building their own platforms, speaking in their own voices and daring to imagine a Kenya where they are not just voters but decision-makers.