SAM'S SENSE: Millennials, Gen Zs- Let’s fix the politics

Kenya’s median age is 19.5 years. That means half the population is younger than 19.5, a sign of a young nation, but also a warning for a country still struggling to create opportunities for its youth.

In my Sense, I focus on the role of the youth or the youthful in shaping the future of this country. I do this because of the rising hopelessness you can see everywhere: in our streets, classrooms, lecture halls, shopping malls, stalls, village pubs, places of worship, and even living rooms.

Young men and women are struggling to make ends meet. Parents of little babies are unsure of where the next meal, the next diaper, medicine, or school fee will come from. A generation forced to laugh through pain, to turn despair into memes — with the all-famous phrase, “Na si utume za kabej.”

That phrase alone says something is deeply broken in the structure of our economy. Even when government statistics boast of a stable shilling or strong economic growth, the news is received with scepticism.

Ask any trader. They’ll tell you business is bad. There’s no money in circulation. The level of regulation has gone up and taken away the little opportunities that sustained the small and medium enterprises that once kept families afloat. Startups barely survive the maze of county levies, business permits, and taxes.

As part of the global community, we’ve categorised ourselves into generations. Tonight, I speak to two: Millennials, or Gen Y (aged 29 to 44), and Gen Zs (aged 13 to 28). Most of you will be eligible to vote in 2027.

The scarcity of opportunities hurts you more than anyone above 45. Yet when leaders take to podiums to dance, spew insults, and chant “Tutam” or “Wantam,” none of that addresses your pain.

When politicians proclaim the leaders they want in 2027 “for your good,” don’t fall for it. They’re after their own interests. When they boast about whom they will never work with because of old or new grudges, it’s not about you.

If you doubt me, check how many MPs have spoken up about the just-ended university lecturers’ strike, the economic squeeze, or the effects of weather-related disasters. How many have tabled a motion to find real solutions? And oh! How many have held rallies to raise money to support those affected?

Instead, they’re busy strategising for the next election, mocking opponents and laughing at a crisis they helped create — exonerating themselves of any responsibility but promising future solutions.

Millennials and Gen Zs are parents to Gen Alpha and the next in line, Gen Beta. No other generation is thinking about you. You have to think for yourselves.

Even those Millennials in public office? Most are busy serving their Gen X and Baby Boomer bosses, chasing wealth, saving for campaigns, securing their own futures — not yours.

So rise up. Make yourself the priority. Demand better. Propose solutions. Step in and implement them.

This is about saving a generation. The government will still come for more taxes — but on what? You can’t be taxed into prosperity. You must create wealth. That means getting your hands dirty.

Surely, politics cannot be too dirty if we must clean it while carrying the water.

Failing to act now would be the biggest betrayal — a curse passed down to your children and theirs.

You hear me? I know. I know you’re asking, what should we do…