Gen Z anti-govt revolt in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria may fuel sub-Saharan ‘African Spring’

As sub-Saharan Africa has seen an unparalleled surge of protests this year, from Kenya to Uganda and Nigeria, some observers are expressing the view that a new African Spring may be on the horizon.

Young people in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria have taken to the streets protesting against the high cost of living, lack of jobs, and their corrupt governments. Inspired by Kenya’s so-called Generation Z that successfully demanded the withdrawal of a bill that would have raised taxes, Ugandans marched against corruption and Nigerians have now rallied against “bad governance” and the soaring cost of living. Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, people have also taken to the streets in several other African countries including Ghana, Angola, Malawi and Senegal.

Now, some observers, such as the Al Jazeera columnist, Tafi Mhaka, are asking if a sub-Saharan ”African Spring” is in the offing. “The current situation in Kenya reminds me of the early days of the Tunisian uprising,” Mhaka writes. The death of a young Tunisian in December 2010 sparked demonstrations against the high cost of living and the country’s authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, later spreading across the Middle East and North African region like wildfire. “More than 10 years later, I suspect the same may now be happening in sub-Saharan Africa,” Mhaka adds.

Only the coming days and weeks will show if the burgeoning protest movement in sub-Saharan Africa has already got beyond the point of no return and a new wave of African Spring uprisings will engulf the whole region.