On September 17-18 2025, the Civic Freedom Forum held a two-day Civic Space Protection Summit in Nakuru, a gathering focused on the challenges faced by civil society and human rights defenders. The summit served as a platform for various stakeholders to discuss the increasing threats to fundamental freedoms such as expression, assembly, and association. A key concern raised was the "weaponization of the law" and digital surveillance. The summit underscored the importance of protecting civic space as a cornerstone of democracy. The keynote speaker, Okiya Omtatah, urged vigilance as we develop strategies to counter these threats, strengthen civic organizations, and advocate for greater accountability as we gear up for 2027.
In this episode, we converse with Prof. Maria Nzomo about what Gen Z misses by bypassing formal institutions, and that achieving policy leverage is not only through protests, but also through formal engagement, to embed their demands into frameworks like Kenya’s Public Participation Act. They will also need to hybridise their quest through protest and litigation by using courts to enforce rights, as well as electoral infiltration by running for political offices and supporting their peers who vie.
The current political moment is forcing many spaces where power is exercised and visualized to reckon with the Gen Z revolution. And as Prof. Karuti Kanyinga clarifies, in this interim window, some old truths remain salient; that we need to take the youths seriously, listen to their demands and train them to lead the country in the now and the near future.
In this episode of our Intergenerational Solidarity series, we sit down with Martha Karua, a trailblazer, advocate, and political icon, for a candid and insightful conversation on leadership, integrity, intergenerational responsibility, and what it takes to stand firm in the face of adversity. From her early days in activism to navigating Kenya’s political landscape, Karua reflects on her journey and shares wisdom for the next generation.
The online and offline agitation by the Gen Z cluster has forced the centres of power and political negotiations to grapple with their relevance, function, even as the political class try to reconsolidate. And as political scientist Muthoni Wanyeki outlines, we are at an inflexion point which will upend some critical assumptions about who we are as a country.c
The Gen Z protests created a critical political moment whose impact has unravelled many political assumptions. In the midst of it, the constitution stands to mediate between the governed and the governing principles. In this episode, lawyer Atsango Chesoni unpacks the crucial turning points in our constitutional moments that have tested the efficacy of our constitutional document as a country.
Since independence, successive Kenyan governments have—even in the worst of times—relied on a few honourable men and women to sustain the civic public. More importantly, these men and women of honour have depended on robust debate and sound ideas, grounded in law and politics, to pursue their vision of a better society. Senior Counsel John Khaminwa invites us to examine the tools available to the current crop of leaders—tools they can rely upon to build strong institutions for Kenya’s future.
Kenya’s third liberation is laden with all kinds of tentative solidarities between the Gen Zs and their elders, with lessons drawn from the past finding new meaning and expression in the current fight. In this episode, Senior Counsel Gitobu Imanyara reflects on what it meant to fight in the second liberation and to watch the current crop of young citizens pick up the struggle for a more livable Kenya.
In light of the recent political events since June 2024 in Kenya, a dearth of voices have tried to situate and tie these sets of events to immediate pressing concerns and triggers such as theft and high cost of living. In this episode, Senior Counsel Pheroze Nowrojee invites us into an intergenerational conversation to examine the long line of agitation that has kept the power systems in check and what tools from history the Gen Zs can lean on, to drive their agenda forward.
The Kenyan society is yet to decide what the 2024 protests meant for the country, and its citizens, and where to situate it in a long history of agitation. The widespread offline and online dissent has taken on different dimensions across the generations. What is not in doubt is that the protests were about contesting the nature of the state, and the soul of the nation. In this episode, The Elephant's curator Joe Kobuthi and author Darius Okolla discuss what the continuing vocal and open dissatisfaction by the raia means.
As more black folks, particularly black women, in Africa are becoming more interested in exploring non-Christian faith systems, the need for more spaces providing information is becoming more imperative.
In this conversation, we delve into the vibrant phenomenon of street worship in Nairobi City. Righa explains how spontaneous praise and worship events are transforming urban spaces, fostering community, and engaging the youth.
After an eight-decade hiatus, Europe is again at war, and as with all European conflicts past, the invasion of Ukraine is about business; when capitalists want something, they find an excuse to start a war to get it.
The recent protests have brought Kenya’s governance trajectory into sharp focus. As the dust settles, many questions are begging for answers. In this episode, Wanjiru Gikonyo breaks down how the personal is political and the political is personal. She takes us through political participation, Bills in parliament, the debt crisis, and the possible futures in light of the current governance gains and losses.
The 2010 constitution turns 14 years today and has been observed in breach more than in observance. Key among these is the implementation of the rights of people with disabilities. In this conversation between The Elephant's Joe Kobuthi and Helen Mudora explore the nexus between the PWD statutes and the bill of rights.
This podcast features psychologist and wellness coach Salima Macharia as we explore the unique characteristics of each generation’s protest movements. We shed light on the evolving landscape of social change. What did Gen X do right and what could they have done better during protests? What about Gen Zs? Listen In.
To mark the 14th anniversary of the promulgation of Kenya’s new constitution, we speak to Dr John Mutakha Kangu, a constitutional law expert. As a key person involved in the constitution-making nitty gritty, he walks us through the journey from the clamour to the actual realization and what has happened since Kenyans voted for the new constitution.
People who are involved or directly exposed to the protests may have experienced emotional trauma, anxiety, and stress disorders. Some protesters report feeling anxious and reliving the certain intrusive and distressing, involuntary memories, dreams or flashbacks. How does one handle post-maandamno blues, and decompress? Psychologist Kamau Mwangi walks us through the topic of post-protest trauma and fatigue and the steps needed to stay whole and healthy during this protest season.
People who are involved or directly exposed to the protests may have experienced emotional trauma, anxiety, and stress disorders. Some protesters report feeling anxious and reliving the certain intrusive and distressing, involuntary memories, dreams or flashbacks. How does one handle post-maandamno blues, and decompress? Psychologist Kamau Mwangi walks us through the topic of post-protest trauma and fatigue and the steps needed to stay whole and healthy during this protest season.
Kenyans have always exercised their rights to protest as enshrined in the Constitution. The safety, dynamics, respect for rule of law between the protesters and the police and the state has undergone significant changes. Wambua Kawive breaks down what is similar vs what has changed in the nature of protests in Kenya.
