Activist Boniface Mwangi has launched a scathing critique of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, accusing the veteran politician of betraying the ideals of the pro-democracy struggle he once championed and declaring that Kenya’s protest movement now belongs to Gen Z.
In a statement shared on Saba Saba Day, Monday, July 7, 2025, Mwangi acknowledged Odinga’s pivotal role in Kenya’s fight for multi-party democracy but argued that he has since transformed “from liberator to traitor.”
Raila Odinga claims to be the father of Saba Saba. We won’t dispute that, but since the 1980s, he has shifted from liberator to traitor,” Mwangi stated in a widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter).
Betrayal of Comrades
Mwangi criticised Odinga for allegedly abandoning former comrades who were jailed, tortured, or exiled for their role in agitating for democratic reforms. He pointed out that many of these individuals won court-awarded compensation that successive governments, including those Odinga joined, have failed to honor.
His jailed comrades from the 1980s have court judgments for compensation, yet he ignores them,” Mwangi added.
He further noted that despite the violent suppression of protests in the 1990s and beyond, Odinga has never demanded justice or reparations for the many demonstrators who died or were maimed while rallying behind his cause.
Alliances with Repressive Regimes
According to Mwangi, Odinga’s political trajectory has been marked by compromises with the very regimes responsible for harming his supporters.
He has lost many supporters in street protests since the 1990s, but never made their justice and compensation a condition for joining the governments of Moi, Kibaki, Uhuru, and Ruto,” he said.
Mwangi accused Odinga of using the deaths of his followers as bargaining chips to secure power-sharing arrangements and personal political gain, often alongside state actors accused of repression.
Rise of Gen Z Protest Leadership
Boniface Mwangi also observed a major generational shift in Kenya’s protest landscape, declaring that young Kenyans—particularly Gen Z—have taken ownership of activism in the country.
The old man has lost credibility, respect, and the monopoly on calling protests, as courageous Gen Zs now own the streets,” he wrote.
He cited the growing visibility of digital-native youth in organizing protests, arguing that their independence from political parties has left traditional leaders scrambling to retain control of the narrative.
Accusations Against ODM and Raila’s Inner Circle
Mwangi took a direct swipe at the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Odinga’s political party, alleging that its move to have Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris sponsor a bill to restrict protests is a desperate attempt to curb the power of the youth-led movement.
ODM has instructed Passaris to introduce a bill to ban protests because Raila has lost his street protest negotiation power,” he alleged.
Today, Raila Odinga dines with those who abduct and kill us.”
Saba Saba: Then and Now
The statement came on the 35th anniversary of the July 7, 1990 Saba Saba protests, a turning point in Kenya’s democratic history. The original protests defied a government ban and brutal police crackdown, demanding an end to the one-party state under President Daniel arap Moi. The resulting unrest led to numerous deaths, arrests, and ultimately the repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution in 1991, restoring multiparty democracy.
While Odinga is historically associated with that movement, Mwangi’s comments suggest that today’s demonstrators no longer look to him for leadership or inspiration.
As Gen Z activists continue to organize mass protests against rising authoritarianism, economic inequality, and police brutality, Mwangi’s statement underscores the shifting terrain of Kenya’s civic resistance—and the fading influence of its once-revered figureheads.
