From Parliament to Pop Culture: Why Kenyan Politics Is Now Everyone’s Business

There was a time when politics in Kenya felt like a distant, grown-up affair—played out on news broadcasts, parliamentary floors, and campaign stages filled with endless promises. Today, that boundary no longer exists. Politics has leaked into our timelines, our music, our jokes, even our wardrobe. Whether we like it or not, it’s now part of our cultural language—and that says something powerful about who we’re becoming as a society.

And honestly? I think that’s a good thing.

Politics Isn’t Just a Performance—It’s Our Reality

From Crazy Kennar’s biting skits to TikTok videos mocking government blunders, young Kenyans have flipped politics into everyday content. What used to be whispered in homes or debated in smoky vibandas is now edited into 30-second reels or punchy memes. This isn’t about disrespect—it’s about survival, awareness, and expression.

When you can’t afford unga, you dance about it. When you feel invisible in policy discussions, you write a poem. When the police teargas you, you film it.
It might look like chaos, but it’s culture—and it’s resistance.

Gen Z Is Woke, Creative, and Tired

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: we are tired. Tired of being told to wait our turn. Tired of being ignored by leadership. Tired of being “the future” when the present is crumbling beneath us. That’s why Gen Z’s form of political expression is so unapologetically loud.

They don’t write letters to MPs—they launch hashtags. They don’t beg for airtime—they go live. It’s disruptive, yes. But isn’t that what culture does when systems stop listening?

Our Artists Are Doing What Leaders Should Be Doing

I find more honesty in a Juliani song than in most political manifestos. Sauti Sol’s lyrics speak more about social frustration than many policy speeches. And spoken word artists like Mumbi Macharia or poets at Open Mic nights are capturing our national mood with more accuracy than any political pundit on TV.

Art is doing the emotional labor of politics. It’s holding up a mirror—and we need to start looking into it.

Threads of Change

This blending of pop culture and politics shouldn’t scare us. It should excite us. It means that we’re no longer passive. It means our generation is responding, shaping, and pushing. If we can make politics part of culture, maybe we can make participation part of our daily lives too—not just through protest, but through building, voting, and leading.

We’ve turned Parliament into poetry, corruption into comedy, and speeches into skits. But what we really need now is to turn art into action.

Let’s not just talk about change. Let’s be it. Loudly, creatively, and together.

What’s your take? Have you ever expressed your political views through art, music, or social media? Drop a comment below.