It is almost hard to imagine how modern day economic inequality seems much more significant than anything else, especially among the youths in Kenya. Based on the current political chaos in Kenya, sitting President William Ruto decided to use military forces to minimize the threat from the protestors, while youths refused to give up. How should we understand the complications of the matter? What are the younger generations looking for? Will democracy continue to be well-preserved?

Nina Berman is professor in the School of International Letters and Cultures at Arizona State University, with previous appointments at the University of Texas at Austin and The Ohio State University. Her research and teaching focus centrally on questions of exclusion and inclusion across time and space. She has published books and articles on questions related to globalization, colonialism, orientalism, tourism, minority literature, disability, translation, and intercultural contact. Her most recent books are Germans on the Kenyan Coast: Land, Charity, and Romance.

Mr. Omari Gaito was born in Ukunda on the coast south of Mombasa. He completed Kilindini Secondary School in Mombasa and has been working in the tourism industry for more than thirty years, including working as a tour driver. He has been Professor Berman’s research assistant for the past 14 years, collaborating with her on Germans on the Kenyan Coast and a recent project on remittances.