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5 common behaviours that anger Gen Zs during December family get-together
28th December, 2025 04:06 PM
Just days after many people incurred heavy travel costs to return to the villages and enjoy Christmas feasts with family and friends they had not seen for years, several trends have emerged that are making many Gen Zs quietly count the days until they return to Nairobi.
For many young people who live and work in towns, Christmas in the village is supposed to be a time to rest, reconnect, and recharge.
Instead, it often turns into a season of pressure, expectations, and uncomfortable conversations from family members, neighbours, and even strangers who seem to have memorised their life timelines.
Here are five common behaviours that many Gen Zs say frustrate them most during the festive season.
1. Being sent to the shop without money
One of the quickest ways to ruin a Gen Z’s festive mood is being sent to do shopping with the assumption that they will foot the bill.
“You live in Nairobi, you must have money,” is the unspoken belief. From cooking oil to meat, bread, and even firewood, many Gen Zs are expected to pay without being asked if they budgeted for it.
While helping is not the issue, the entitlement and lack of communication often leave young people feeling used rather than welcomed.
2. Being told to take cattle to the field
For Gen Zs who have grown up in towns, being suddenly assigned full-time herding duties can be shocking.
Waking up early to take cattle to the field, fetch water, or look after goats is often presented as “tradition,” even when it disrupts planned rest or remote work.
What frustrates many is not the work itself, but the assumption that their time is less valuable simply because they are home for Christmas.
3. Being forced into cooking or shamba work
From peeling potatoes for hours to spending entire days in the shamba, many Gen Zs find themselves drafted into labour without choice.
While helping at home is expected, problems arise when it becomes excessive or is enforced with ridicule. Some report being told they are “spoilt” or “lazy” for questioning why duties are unevenly distributed, especially when older relatives sit back and supervise.
4. Constant comments about physical appearance
Few things make Christmas uncomfortable faster than unsolicited comments about body size, skin tone, or lifestyle.
Statements like “Umenona,” “Umekonda,” “Haukuli,” or “Nairobi imekuharibu” are often thrown around casually, but they cut deep.
Many Gen Zs are more body-conscious and mental-health aware, and such remarks feel intrusive rather than playful.
What older generations see as harmless observation, younger people experience as judgement.
5. Endless questions about employment and life progress
Perhaps the most dreaded part of being in shags is the interrogation about jobs, money, and life direction.
“Unafanya kazi gani?”
“Bado hujaoa?”
“Mbona huna gari?”
For Gen Zs facing unemployment, unstable contracts, or career uncertainty, these questions are exhausting.
They come not just from close family, but from neighbours and distant relatives who expect clear answers and visible success.
The combination of requests, questions, and expectations creates emotional fatigue. Instead of rest, many Gen Zs find themselves defending their choices, explaining their struggles, or spending money they did not plan to spend.
This has led to a growing trend where some openly threaten to return to Nairobi earlier than planned, choosing peace over prolonged pressure.
