Kasmuel McOure claims he led 2024 Gen Z protest in his speech in US
By Arnold Ngure, July 9, 2025ODM youth leader Kasmuel McOure has claimed that he led the Gen Z protests of 2024 against the punitive tax proposals of the time.
In his speech in the United States, the ODM youth leader, who travelled to the country after being accepted into the Mandela Washington Fellowship, revealed that he was thrust into the protest leadership unintentionally.
“Back home, I came into the spotlight unintentionally. I was thrust upon it for leading one of the most consequential protest movements in Kenya’s history,” Kasmuel stated.
Loved and loathed
He equally highlighted that his newfound fame had made him loved and loathed in equal measure by Kenyans, especially hated by those who thought he had become a traitor to the liberation struggle.
“I have been called a hero, and a traitor; I have been carried shoulder-high, and I have been spat on. I have been cheered by thousands and booed by thousands, but none of that has stopped me from doing what is right,” Kasmuel said.
“Today, I could not focus in class because the Kenyan youth are marching again for our survival. The covenant that was forged on July 7, 1990, the promise of a multi-party democracy, accountable leadership and the inviolable dignity of every Kenyan life has been bruised by deceit and bullets.”
Leaderless Gen Zs
Kasmuel courted attention during the Gen Z protests, standing out from his well-pressed suits and hairstyle, as he moved around with a crowd of youthful protesters during the demos.
While the Gen Zs maintain they are leaderless, Kasmuel stood in the gap, and was quickly called into the government by ODM Party leader Raila Odinga, who offered him a national outlook by making him a youth leader in the second-largest party in the country.
Upon joining ODM, the musical educator faced backlash from a section of the youth, who branded him a traitor for joining forces with Raila Odinga.
“I have never turned my back on the Gen Z movement. ODM’s heart beats for Kenya; its lifeblood is the needs of Kenyans. I owe no apology to anyone attempting to trample on my democratic rights,” he declared on February 2025.