One year on, Kenyan protesters divided on path forward

A YEAR on from landmark protests over taxes and corruption, Kenya's youth remains undeterred by a violent police response but faces conflicting ideas on where to go next.

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"It was spontaneous, leaderless, and unlike anything our country had ever seen," said Hanifa Adan, 28, who became one of the most high-profile figures of what became known as the Gen Z protests.

They were triggered by a finance bill that sharply raised taxes in a country where 40% of people still live in poverty and massive government corruption scandals emerge with alarming frequency.

The rallies grew rapidly until their deadly peak on June 25, when thousands stormed parliament where lawmakers were debating the bill, ultimately forcing President William Ruto to withdraw it.

The protests petered out in the following weeks after a police response that left 60 dead and dozens arbitrarily detained.

"State violence was brutal and traumatising, and it was meant to intimidate and silence us. But instead, it exposed the desperation of a system clinging to power," Adan said.