Fighting for democracy through increased civic engagement in Kenya
Document Type
Book Chapter
Department
Graduate School of Media and Communications
Abstract
Recent developments show increasing civic engagement particularly among young people concerned about levels of poor political leadership. In Kenya and Nepal, for example, young people identifying themselves as Gen-Zs (Generation-Zs, those born between 1995 and 2010) played a pivotal role in organizing and leading ‘successful’ (anti-government) protests. Utilizing social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Facebook, they mobilized support, disseminated information and live-streamed events, ensuring real-time updates and broader civic engagement and transnational political action. This digital activism marked a departure from traditional protest methods, showcasing the technology-savvy nature of the younger generation and the capacity of social media to expand and transform the networked public sphere and enhance affective transnational political communication, engagement and action. This chapter thus examines new forms of Gen-Z-led civic engagements and argues that the new communication platforms expand the public sphere that is instrumental in the advancement of deliberative and participatory transnational political action, communication, activism and civic engagement.
Publication (Name of Journal)
The Routledge Handbook of Communication and Transnationalism
DOI
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003520177-15
Recommended Citation
Nyabuga, G.
(2026). Fighting for democracy through increased civic engagement in Kenya. The Routledge Handbook of Communication and Transnationalism, 1-13.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_gsmc/122