Kenya MPs flaunting wealth on social media added fuel to tax protests
- Kenya’s youth-led protests target MPs’ opulence amid tax hike
- Protesters use X, TikTok to hold politicians accountable
- President Ruto dismisses cabinet, vows austerity
- Growing movement to recall Kenyan lawmakers before 2027
- Audits show $13 mln child funds not fully accounted for
Luxury cars, private helicopters, mounds of cash. The lavish lifestyles of Kenya’s lawmakers, splashed across TikTok and X, added fuel to anger simmering last month among a young, plugged-in population over proposed tax hikes.
Weeks-long protests about the tax measures have increasingly drawn attention to the large salaries, perks and ostentation of members of parliament (MPs) in a country where three quarters of the population is young and well-paid work is scarce.
Fury boiled over on June 25, when protesters stormed parliament and set it ablaze, pelting fleeing politicians’ vehicles with stones. Since then, private residences and businesses of several MPs, mainly those associated with the ruling coalition, have been attacked.
Now, TikTok and X are being wielded as protest tools. Politicians’ videos are edited and reposted with negative comments. The platforms are awash with allegations of mismanaged funds and discussions on next steps for the as-yet largely leaderless youth movement.
Activists are sharing advice how to use recall powers to topple representatives and have even built an AI-powered chatbot that spits out media reports of corruption allegations when a politician’s name is entered.
In April and May during the build-up to the protests, ruling party MP Zaheer Jhanda posted videos of himself on TikTok admiring his gleaming Range Rover, a Mercedes G Wagon and a Lexus, triggering angry online commentary.
