NAIROBI, Kenya — A mix of shock and pleasant awe met the recent Generation Z protests in Kenya, in which the country’s youth took to the streets and social media to demand favorable tax reforms and more responsive governance.

At the same time, tear gas canisters exploded and shots were fired in towns and cities across the East African country amid frenzied chants of a youthful army that unrelentingly faced off an armada by security agencies.

The leaderless protests — unprecedented in their scope in the country’s recent history — yielded a remarkable turn of events that included a scaling down of government waste following the now-famous interaction with President William Ruto via X.

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As the rattle of gunfire and the spirited sloganeering raged on in the streets, Gen Zers opened a new theater in this fight: training their rage on the church for allegedly working with the state. They have accused church officials of being subservient to the political class. Notable grievances included churches accepting hefty cash donations from lawmakers of dubious standing and the surrender of pulpits in many churches for use by politicians.

Even more curious was the rather loud silence by many churches, which failed to voice their disapproval of the repressive tax regime even as many young people unleashed their protests, a fact that was largely associated with churches’ coy dalliance with the state.

“Church leaders are the weakest link towards the growth of this country,” DJ Soxy, a social media influencer, said as the protests raged on. “Something needs to change.”

Recognizing the compelling potency of Gen Z and their clamor for change, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, spoke about the need for the Catholic Church, for example, to be more receptive to the youth.

“Christians — Catholics — are not disconnected from the events of these days, and in fact, the church should not be disconnected from the events of these days,” Van Megen said.

Members of the movement didn’t hold back punches. Comments varied from the reserved, noncommittal self-proclamations affirming allegiance to God but not the church to diatribes warning that this generation would not be subservient to every whim from clergymen.

“We Gen Z only demand taxing the churches at 99% tithe collection — now that will strike a chord with the behemoth that perpetuates brutal regimes since its interests are sustained. That’s the only way we rid off the church’s lying tongue and get parents and older generations involved,” one protester said.

Another, reacting to a joint prayer session by churches for a politician whose property was torched during the protests near the Rift Valley town of Molo, said: “We Gen Z know well that politicians use the church to manipulate our parents. These parents may have been summoned … and bribed.”

In the heat of the ongoing summer protests, one of the more prominent episodes against the church was reflected in a viral attack on the Holy Family Minor Basilica in Nairobi, who locked its gates to protestors seeking refuge. Church officials, in response, promptly issue a statement expressing empathy with the protestors.

“After the initial hesitation at the Holy Family Basilica, when it had closed its gates so that protestors could not enter, (they eventually) opened its gates … so that the wounded could be treated at a field hospital that had been set up within the compound,” Van Megen said.

For a 24-year-old protestor, who only gave his name as Jemo, the events epitomize his generation’s bold breakaway from religious and political influence that have dominated Kenya for years.

“Most of us are well-educated, informed, liberal, well-traveled and with higher earning power than our parents before us,” he said. “We have what it takes to interrogate our leaders and demand more qualitative engagement. I reckon that both the church and the government will have to style up in their dealings with us. Not the other way round.”

Joseph Maina is a Kenyan journalist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Nairobi. For the past decade, he has served as a correspondent for various print and digital publications in his native Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.