WILLIAM Ruto thought that it would be easy after young Kenyans solidly backed him in the presidential election of 2022 that saw him take over the leadership of the country after serving as deputy president for nine years. As things have turned out, he was sorely mistaken.
The same young people that he took for granted are now up in arms against his government. They have not taken kindly to plans to apply more financial squeeze on an already economically straitened group of Kenyans who see their leaders regularly flaunting wealth that many of them cannot honestly justify.
The riots that followed – leading to a number of deaths – have shaken the core of Ruto’s administration. Heads have rolled in an apparent knee-jerk response to the unsettling state of affairs in the country. Ruto has sacked his entire Cabinet, save for the deputy president and foreign minister.
But the anger in Kenya is far from over. The tension will hang over the country for as long as the government fails to create the environment for the millions of jobs needed to make life a lot better for young Kenyans.
Sadly, the eruptions in Kenya could easily engulf other African countries where leaders are equally culpable of treating their young citizens with disdain. Indeed, they have never been convinced by their political leaders who say things that they do not really mean.
Now young Africans are no longer ready to listen to the empty promises, and are ready to take action. The politicians have failed to transform the substantial youth population on the continent into a solid asset in the development of Africa. Instead, they have had to eke out a living while those in authority live a comfortable life – acting as masters, rather than servants, of the people.
The arrogance of Africa leaders is pushing young people to react in the manner that we have seen in Kenya. A few years ago, young Nigerians also flexed their muscles against their government; as was the recent case in Senegal before the 43-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye became president in April this year.
What is sorely needed now, from the perspective of ordinary Africans, is for their leaders to build trust and keep to their words, rather than change tack once they are in power.
The African Union must not turn a blind eye to the struggles of young Africans. It has to intervene in a more robust way instead of just mouthing platitudes.
‘Young Africans are agents of change; using the streets to make their point’
It is the same AU that has set 2063 as the deadline for “transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future”. Its Agenda 2063 envisages an Africa that, among other things, will provide “people centred development, gender equality and youth empowerment”.
How can this be achieved when those who are supposed to be in charge of Africa’s destiny in under 40 years’ time are not being prepared now for the task ahead? After all, most of the political leaders in Africa today will not be around to see whether or not Agenda 2063 is achieved.
It is going to be a tough battle for the continent because young people have been taken for granted for far too long. They now want to have a say in decision-making that will foster trust.
African governments should better engage citizens in this area and actively communicate the evidence behind their decisions, while combating misinformation and disinformation.
Alas, governments on the continent are loath to communicating with their citizens because when issues are obfuscated, those in power get away with socio-economic mismanagement. For government press officers in Africa who regularly try to shield their political masters from public scrutiny through the media, they should know that providing evidence in policy-making, while using regular public communication to do so, is crucial to building trust.
In all this, there is a need to entrench good governance and the rule of law that can generally lead to the reduction of tensions in Africa. Once these are in place, regular elections that cannot be rigged can make a difference.
Young Africans were until recently disinterested in politics because of its machinations which can wear them down. Things are changing now because they know that they can make a difference, as we saw when they got Ruto to power two years ago, and are now making life difficult for him.
The political elite in Africa needs to stop acting in a high-handed manner when it comes to dealing with youth unemployment and inequality in society. Everyone has a stake in ensuring that good governance and the rule of law work on the continent.
Young Africans are agents of change, and are now using the streets to make their point. The time bomb is ticking and if it is not defused soon, the explosion will be catastrophic for a continent that greatly needs peace and security as it moves to 2063.
Desmond Davies is the Editor of Africa Briefing Magazine. The original of this op-ed can be found in the July-August 2024 edition of the magazine
