By Jehoshaphat Kanyoro Njaro
Kenya’s “Occupy Parliament” protests have garnered significant global attention, with influential international X accounts amplifying the movement’s message.
The protests, sparked by widespread opposition to the Finance Bill 2024, received a substantial boost on Wednesday night when the hacker collective Anonymous issued a stern warning to President William Ruto and Kenyan parliamentarians.
The group urged the leaders to heed the voices of Kenyan citizens or face severe cyber consequences.
This intervention by Anonymous electrified the protesters and further galvanized the movement. By Thursday, during the height of nationwide demonstrations, another powerful force joined the fray: Football Twitter.
This sub-culture on the X platform, consisting of some of the most popular football fan pages in the world, lent their support to the Kenyan cause, rallying millions of followers behind the hashtag #RejectFinanceBill2024.
Prominent football fan accounts, each with a massive following, shared a poster featuring a clenched fist alongside a supportive caption for Kenya.
Troll Football, boasting over 300,000 followers, posted the “Reject Not Amend” poster with the message, “Troll Football Stands with Kenya!” Similarly, CFC Janty, with over 500,000 followers, expressed solidarity by sharing the poster and writing, “We are with you Kenya!”UTD Trey, another influential account with over a million followers, quickly followed suit, sharing the same poster and declaring, “I’m with you Kenya!”
The Lampard View (TLV), another popular fan page, encouraged the community to leverage Football Twitter’s influence, stating, “Let’s take advantage of Football Twitter’s power.
We are with you Kenya!”Welcoming the unprecedented support, Kenyan football X account @WelBeast expressed his gratitude. “Football Twitter, thank you for joining the cause.
On behalf of my fellow citizens, I express my gratitude. #REJECTFINANCEBILL2024!” he wrote.Additional support came from other well-known accounts like Football Hub, UTD Faithful, Simply Goal, and MCFC Jacky.
This surge in international solidarity comes at a crucial time as Members of Parliament prepare for a pivotal vote that will determine whether the
Finance Bill progresses to the Third Reading stage. Meanwhile, protests continue to sweep across major cities including Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nyeri, and Eldoret.
The growing global attention and support underscore the significant impact of social media and international solidarity in modern protest movements, as Kenyans fight to have their voices heard.