Kenya’s Youth Protesters Are Ready to Govern
The Kenya Left Alliance played a role in organizing the country’s recent rebellion against regressive tax reforms and police brutality. Now it’s launching a bid for power in the 2027 elections.
Youth protests flared up again in 2025 following the death of 30-year-old Albert Omondi Ojwang in police custody. The protests, which drew attention to police vio-lence, also attracted it: Kenyan security agencies were widely condemned for their excessive use of force. (Michel Lunanga / Getty Images)
On June 25, 2024, Kenya entered a new political era. Sparked by opposition to the Finance Bill, a package of regressive taxes pushed by President William Ruto’s government, protests began in Nairobi and quickly spread nationwide, escalating into a mass rebellion against austerity and elite impunity. Ruto soon withdrew the bill.
In June 2025, the protests reignited in response to the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang in police custody, now squarely targeting state violence and the wider political order. The demands had shifted, no longer focused on just reform but on complete rupture.
William Shoki interviewed Sungu Oyoo, a candidate in Kenya’s 2027 presidential elections. Oyoo is also a founding member of the Kenya Left Alliance, a broad coalition of progressive organizations that is trying to turn the country’s popular discontent into a durable anti-capitalist political force.
Sorry, but this article is available to subscribers only. Please log in or become a subscriber.