Gen Z Protests:Student Leaders Call For Generational Ceasefire,Proposose National Youth Taskforce to Redefine Kenya's Future

“From Protest to Policy”: ACSAP-Kenya Calls for Generational Ceasefire, Proposes National Youth Dialogue Taskforce to Shape Kenya’s Future

Nairobi, Kenya — Against the backdrop of one of the most consequential youth-led protest movements in Kenya’s recent history, the Association of County Students’ Association Presidents–Kenya (ACSAP-K) has stepped forward with a bold and unifying proposal aimed at transforming generational frustration into forward-looking, people-driven policy.

Speaking at a packed press briefing held on July 2, 2025, at the Kenya Institute of Special Education in Nairobi, I, David Msongori, Chairperson of ACSAP-K, joined my fellow student leaders representing all 47 counties in calling for an immediate Generational Ceasefire and the formation of a National Youth Dialogue Taskforce. This taskforce, we believe, must be endorsed by His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto and designed to co-create a renewed social contract between Kenya’s government and its youth.

The Need for a Generational Ceasefire: A Nation at the Crossroads

Kenya is at a defining moment. Over the past several weeks, thousands of young Kenyans—largely from Generation Z—have taken to the streets in protest, expressing deep dissatisfaction with the state of the nation. These demonstrations have centered around unemployment, high cost of living, inaccessible education, lack of accountability, and systemic marginalization.

While we acknowledge the legitimacy of these grievances, ACSAP-K unequivocally distances itself from violence, anarchy, or manipulation by political or non-state actors seeking to hijack the youth agenda. Our movement is not about destruction. It is about transformation.

We say: Yes to being Faceless, Tribeless, and Fearless. But No to being leaderless, reckless, or misdirected. We call on every young Kenyan to pause and rethink their role in shaping this republic—not as agitators of chaos, but as architects of change.

A Structured Path Forward: The National Youth Dialogue Taskforce

To move from confrontation to consultation, from fury to future-building, ACSAP-K proposes the creation of a 150-member National Youth Dialogue Taskforce. This taskforce must be a national platform of inclusion, bringing together a broad coalition of Kenya’s most passionate, visionary, and representative young leaders.

We envision a taskforce comprised of:

• County student presidents and university representatives

• Youth from pastoralist, coastal, urban, and rural communities

• Persons with disabilities

• Informal sector workers, digital creatives, and young professionals

• Youth engaged in climate justice, peacebuilding, and innovation

• Equal representation of women and men across all counties

This taskforce will operate under three thematic clusters, each handling two priority policy domains:

Cluster 1: Youth Employment & Education Reform

• Revive and expand the Kazi Mtaani program, creating sustainable jobs and mentorships in both urban and rural areas.

• Reform the New University Funding Model to prioritize equity, affordability, and transparency for students from low-income backgrounds.

• Increase HELB loan disbursements and allocate more CDF bursaries in every constituency to cushion students amid a tough economy.

• Create County-Level Youth Innovation Hubs that equip youth with 21st-century skills in entrepreneurship, digital technology, and the green economy.

Cluster 2: Cost of Living, Mental Health & Social Protection

• Launch youth-targeted social protection programs to buffer economic shocks and support vulnerable groups.

• Reinstate the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) system to ensure seamless access to healthcare and social services.

• Prioritize mental health investment in universities, colleges, and high schools, establishing campus-based counseling, peer support, and drug abuse prevention programs.

Cluster 3: Governance, Political Inclusion, Security & Rights

• Institutionalize youth representation in national and county policy processes through participatory budgeting, public forums, and youth councils.

• Work with security agencies to shield youth-led movements from external interference and infiltration.

• Demand full police accountability, respect for human rights, and reforms that protect peaceful demonstrators from brutality and profiling.

Transparency, Timelines, and Deliverables

This is not an abstract proposal. The National Youth Dialogue Taskforce will be guided by a concrete timeline with structured regional consultations, policy workshops, and public feedback sessions. Its mandate will include:

• Conducting rapid assessments of youth policy gaps

• Drafting proposals for legislative and executive action

• Submitting a final Youth Charter to the President and Parliament

The selection of taskforce members will be public, merit-based, and transparent, overseen by an independent committee composed of youth-serving organizations, civil society actors, and government liaisons.

Our Commitments as ACSAP-K

As the collective voice of student leadership across Kenya, ACSAP-K pledges to:

1. Mobilize youth nationwide to join the taskforce and contribute to this generational dialogue.

2. Partner with government, civil society, and the private sector to institutionalize youth engagement across ministries and county governments.

3. Uphold the principles of peaceful, legal, and visionary advocacy, rejecting violence, intimidation, or political manipulation.

4. Integrate emerging issues into the youth policy agenda—climate action, digital inclusion, reproductive health, and gender equity.

A Direct Appeal to President Ruto: Support Our Path of Unity

We respectfully call on His Excellency President William Ruto to endorse this initiative and appoint a Presidential Youth Liaison to work closely with ACSAP-K in coordinating this effort. We are ready to meet, to plan, and to act—in good faith—for the benefit of Kenya’s most valuable resource: its young people.

This is a moment for courage, for consensus, and for action. If we do not act now, we risk losing a generation not just to hopelessness, but to disillusionment. But if we seize this moment together—youth and government, students and institutions, protestors and policymakers—then we will have begun writing a new chapter for Kenya.

A Generation United, A Nation Renewed

We are not asking for seats at the table. We are building a new table, with enough room for every voice, every vision, and every county. Let this be the day that Kenya’s youth turned protest into policy, and pain into purpose.