Regarding yesterday's protests in Nairobi and other cities in Kenya, many readers and followers of our pages and social media groups have asked me whether this instability, with the deaths that are unfortunately making headlines, could affect tourism, particularly on the coast.

I will not respond with a blunt “NO”, based on statistics from many years ago, but I will try to explain what is happening and why foreign holidays are the least of our problems.
Let's start with a fact: last year, around this time, the protests were even more violent. On 25 June, the parliament in Nairobi was attacked and partially set on fire by young demonstrators. In the end, 60 people were killed and more than 300 injured.
Tourism figures from August to April this year show a record number of tourists, exceeding 3 million.
Italians are also returning to the highest levels of the millennium, with almost 100,000 visitors.
As you can see, these figures alone are enough to show that there is no direct link between the anti-government protests, most of which are taking place in Nairobi and the north of the country, and the tranquillity of the tourist areas and those who visit them.
The protests by young people of the so-called Generation Z are against the current government and the police, who they (and human rights organisations) believe are acting in a repressive and brutal manner.
Last Wednesday, in a single day of street protests, there were 12 confirmed deaths (but there could be at least twice as many) and more than 400 injured.

In Malindi, a tourist destination, people took to the streets in small numbers and in a completely peaceful manner. The only problems for the police came from a group of desperate individuals who tried to take advantage of the situation to loot a few shops, resulting in a manhunt and the firing of tear gas.
Kenya has always been a peaceful country and a beacon of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa, but discontent is growing against President Ruto, who is accused of failing to keep many of the promises he made during his election campaign, halfway through his term.
Meanwhile, unlike last year, Ruto signed the new budget law yesterday, which is considered not too burdensome for the less well-off, and unlike last year, there were no protests.

Young people essentially want a change of course, a society with less corruption, fewer lobbies of rich men who divide power and money among themselves, and more involvement in civil society, as well as freedom of expression. These are all legitimate demands that tourism, which benefits everyone because it brings fresh foreign currency into the state coffers and provides jobs for many ordinary people through its related industries, can help to achieve, because young people, who represent almost 80 per cent of Kenya's population, are not only the future of this country, but also its present.