阿德姆巴·阿兰斯正在让投票在肯尼亚变得“酷”起来。这位从学生记者转型为公民动员者的年轻人，今年早些时候在社交媒体上发起了一场选民登记运动，利用充满音乐和幽默感的自拍来吸引年轻人。
Ademba Allans is making it "cool" to vote in Kenya. The student journalist turned civic mobiliser launched a voter registration drive on social media earlier this year, using snappy selfies infused with music and humour to target young people.
结果令他和许多肯尼亚政治观察者感到震惊——在登记期结束时，全国已有260万新选民完成注册。他正力争在下一轮中再争取230万人加入。
The result astonished him and many observers of Kenyan politics – by the time the registration period ended, 2.6 million new voters across the country had signed up. He is aiming to get another 2.3 million on board in the next round.
“这是Z世代参与政治的方式，”他告诉我，“有趣、潮流、性感、时尚。由于我们围绕此事营造的热度，人们产生了害怕错过的心理。每个人都想参与其中。”Z世代是指1990年代末至2000年代初出生的人群，两年前，他们通过大规模抗议活动登上政治舞台，迫使政府撤回了一项广受反对的税收法案。然而，他们的胜利之后，警方进行了镇压，导致数十名示威者死伤。
"It was the Gen Z way of doing politics," he tells me. "Fun, trendy, sexy, fashionable. Because of how we created the hype around it, people had the fear of missing out. Everybody wanted to be involved." Gen Z, the term used to describe people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, burst onto the scene two years ago with mass protests that forced the government to retreat on a widely unpopular tax bill. But their victory was followed by a police crackdown that killed and injured dozens of demonstrators.
如今，许多年轻的肯尼亚人正计划从街头转向投票箱，他们对被指控腐败和警察暴力的政治建制派感到愤怒。
Now many young Kenyans are planning to move from the street to the ballot box, angry with a political establishment they accuse of corruption and police brutality.
他们拥有足以改变局势的人数——超过30%的肯尼亚适龄选民年龄在35岁以下。民调显示，威廉·鲁托总统的处境显得脆弱。
And they have the numbers to make a difference - more than 30% of voting-age Kenyans are younger than 35. Polls suggest President William Ruto is looking vulnerable.
但Z世代能否将这场去中心化的、由数字技术驱动的反抗运动转化为有组织的政治力量？
But can Gen Z convert a decentralized digital-led rebellion into organised political power?
政治分析师汤姆·姆博亚表示：“这些由青年领导的运动是一张王牌，因为它们不可预测。”
"These youth-led movements are a wild card, in that they are unpredictable," says political analyst Tom Mboya.
“它们在资源需求上很少，且可能随时出现。财政法案抗议具有政治性质，但该运动尚未在明显的政治层面接受过考验。因此，如果他们决定支持某位候选人，那么该候选人很可能会取得不错的成绩。”数字素养较高的Z世代活动家的一大优势在于，他们能够动员起那些游离于肯尼亚政治根基——即政党结构和族群忠诚之外的力量。
"They don't require much in the way of resources and can pop up at any time. The finance bill protests were political in nature, but the movement has not been tested at an overtly political level. So if they decide to support a candidate, then he's likely to do fairly well." One of the strengths of the digitally savvy Gen Z activists is that they have been able to mobilise outside the party structures and ethnic allegiances that anchor Kenyan politics.
艾伦一直谨慎地避免公开支持任何特定的候选人或政党；他强调的是领导力，而非具体的政治人物，并试图在传统的部落投票阵营之外凝聚一股新的政治力量。
Allans has been careful not to advocate a particular candidate or party – emphasising leadership rather than politicians, marshalling a new force, he says, outside traditional tribal voting blocs.
“从来就没有一个完全独立于任何个人或政党的选民群体存在，”他说，“他们只是希望选出合适的领导者，而我们正是致力于实现这一目标的。”
"There has never been a case where there is a bloc that is not affiliated to any person or any party. They just want to vote in the right leaders, and this is what we created," he says.
“这些选民属于‘摇摆选民’（即他们的投票意向难以预测），因为目前还无法确定他们会把票投给谁。” 鲁托及其领导的联合民主联盟（UDA）在距离2027年8月的选举还有不到一年的时间里面临着巨大的挑战。
"It's more of a swing vote because you cannot tell who we are going to vote for." Ruto and his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) are facing strong head winds with less than a year to go before the August 2027 vote.
在6月份进行的一项调查中，超过四分之三的受访者认为国家正朝着错误的方向发展；另有三分之二的受访者表示，自鲁托2022年当选以来，他们的个人经济状况有所恶化。
More than three-quarters of respondents to a survey conducted in June felt the country was moving in the wrong direction, with two-thirds saying their personal economic situation had worsened since Ruto was elected in 2022.
不过分析人士指出，总统并不一定需要拥有高人气才能获胜——他们认为鲁托是一位擅长政治组织的人，并且拥有政府的资源作为支持。
But analysts argue that the president does not necessarily have to be popular to win. He is a master political organiser with the resources of the state, they say.
鲁托的政治对手们也各自为政，目前尚不清楚他们是否能够联合起来形成一股强大的反对力量来与他竞争。
Ruto's political rivals are also fragmented, and it is not yet clear whether they can form a united opposition to take him on.
一位吸引了众多Z世代年轻人注意的人物是内罗毕参议员埃德温·西富纳（Edwin Sifuna）。他领导着一个名为“Linda Mwananchi”（保护公民）的运动，该运动得到了许多心怀不满的年轻人的大力支持。
One man who has captured the attention of many Gen Zs is Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. He has emerged as the leader of a movement called Linda Mwananchi (Protect the Citizen), which is getting strong support from disaffected young people.
西富纳最初引起人们注意是在2024年的抗议活动中，他试图阻止警察向冲击议会的抗议者开枪。如今，他正在倡导一场以“人民为主导”的运动，致力于维护宪法中规定的人权与法治原则。
Sifuna first caught their attention when he tried to stop police from shooting at protesters who were storming parliament during the 2024 demonstrations. Now he is championing a "people-led" movement that promotes the protection of human rights and rule of law as enshrined in the constitution.
虽然他尚未正式宣布参选总统，但已经开始四处奔走以争取支持。BBC最近在肯尼亚中部的梅鲁县（Meru County）采访了他；该地区在上次选举中曾大力支持鲁托。
He has yet to officially declare a run for the presidency, but is already on the road rallying support. The BBC caught up with him on a recent trip to Meru county in central Kenya, a region that voted strongly for Ruto in the last election.
“年轻人希望我们创造一个环境，让每个人都感到能够公平竞争，”他在开始他那场喧闹的巡回演讲前对我说道。
"Young people want us to create an environment where everybody feels that they can compete fairly," he told me before starting out on his raucous road show.
“我们必须彻底 dismantling 现有的体制，让每个人都有公平的人生机会、公平的教育机会、公平的就业机会，以及自我成长的机会。”
"We need to absolutely dismantle the system so that everybody has a fair chance at life, a fair chance at education, a fair chance at employment, and the opportunities to grow themselves.
“2027年的大选将是对‘年轻人正在崛起’这一理论的一次考验，”他说。“作为领导层，我们的挑战是确保拥有一个引人入胜的信息，从而鼓励人们走出来，让他们看到新国家的愿景。”鲁托在2022年上台执政时，也曾对这个国家怀有引人入胜的愿景。
"This election in 2027 is when this theory that the young people are advancing will be put to the test," he said. "Our challenge as a leadership is to ensure you have a compelling message that then encourages people to come out, let them see the vision for the new country." Ruto also had a compelling vision for the country when he came to power in 2022.
他承诺自下而上地改造经济，重点扶持边缘群体。他的政府随后推出了一系列变革，包括扩大公共医疗覆盖范围的地标性改革，但许多年轻人认为他的紧缩措施和增税政策让他们感到被背叛。
He promised to transform the economy from the bottom up, with a focus on lifting the marginalised. His government has since introduced changes including landmark reforms that widen access to public healthcare, but many young people felt betrayed by his austerity measures and tax hikes.
“我来到这里，是为了参与一场革命性的变革。我们想要一位了解年轻人所面临的共同问题的新肯尼亚青年领袖，”23岁的布兰登·穆雷米告诉英国广播公司。
"I'm here to participate in a revolution change that we want a new Kenyan youth leader who knows the common problems that are facing the young people," 23-year-old Brandon Muremi told the BBC.
我在“滚动集会”最后一站的相对安静的角落找到了他。在这一天繁忙的行程中，西富纳的车队访问了四个地点，有时甚至阻塞交通，他和当地政客们爬上车辆顶部，以震耳欲聋的音量发表激昂的演讲。
I found him in a relatively quiet corner of the final stop in a hectic day of a "rolling rally" – Sifuna's convoy visited four locations, sometimes blocking traffic as he and local politicians climbed on top of their vehicles and delivered rousing speeches at ear-splitting volumes.
“我们在寻找一位信守承诺的领导者，而不仅仅是口头许诺，”19岁的机械工程学生康拉德·穆坦吉利表示同意，他是出于好奇才来到这里的。
"We are looking for a leader who sticks to his plans, not just talking the promises that he makes," agreed Conrad Mutangili, a 19-year-old mechanical engineering student who had come out of curiosity.
“我们正在寻找一个真正能够兑现承诺、并将这些承诺落到实处的人，”他说。“因为他们总是承诺各种好处，但实际上我们并没有感受到任何实质性的改变。”
"We are looking for somebody who can actually accomplish and actually bring to the people what they are talking about," he said. "Because they promise sweets, but we don't feel any sugar in our mouths."
“我们希望看到立竿见影的结果，”22岁的计算机科学专业学生伊冯娜·基莱梅（Yvonne Kileme）说道；她承认政府项目的成效可能需要更长的时间才能显现。“作为年轻人，我们最渴望的就是就业机会。”鲁托（Ruto）强烈表示，他的政府已经在创造就业岗位，并指出高失业率这个问题其实早在他上任之前就已经存在了。
"We want immediate results," said a 22-year-old computer science student, Yvonne Kileme, acknowledging that the results of government projects may be more long-term. "And one thing that we want as youths is employment, employment, employment, employment." Ruto argues strongly that his government is delivering jobs, and says the high rate of youth unemployment is a problem that predates his presidency.
为了吸引Z世代（Gen Z），鲁托政府推出了多项计划：为小型企业和由年轻人主导的企业提供补助金和贷款支持，同时推动科技产业的发展，并创造更多的数字工作机会。
He has reached out to Gen Z with various programmes that offer grants and loans to small business and youth-led enterprises, technology hubs and digital work opportunities.
鲁托所属的UDA（United Democratic Alliance）的全国青年领袖卡里乌基·恩贡吉里（Kariuki Ngunjiri）告诉BBC：“我们有信心能够以压倒性优势赢得选举。”
The national youth leader of Ruto's UDA, Kariuki Ngunjiri, told the BBC he was confident of winning the election with an overwhelming majority.
“这位总统非常善于倾听年轻人的意见，他真正关心他们的诉求，并为他们提供了就业机会；这对我们整个政党来说都带来了巨大的优势，”他说。
"The president is a listening president and he's been able to now come down to the youth, get what their concerns are, give them jobs, and that has absolutely, even for the party, given us a head start," he said.
“我们并不在意社交媒体上的舆论喧嚣——因为我们关注的是那些能够真正促进年轻人发展的实际举措。那些由企业赞助的标签和新闻标题所宣扬的内容，并不能真正反映我们的需求。”
"We are not worried about the social media buzz because we are people who actually engage the young people on real, actual, tangible development. What you see mostly on sponsored hashtags and sponsored headlines does not really concern us."
在肯尼亚首都内罗毕以北约100公里处的坎杰马（Kangema）举行的UDA市政会议上，一位高级体育官员承诺将进一步扩大体育场建设计划。
He was speaking as a senior sports official promised to expand the stadium-building programme with another venue, at a packed UDA town hall meeting in Kangema, about 100km (60 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.
像许多年轻人一样，23岁的辛塔·穆塔希（Shintah Mutahi）也在四处寻找工作机会。
Like so many others, 23-year-old Shintah Mutahi was job hunting.
“我来这里是为了听听他们的意见，也许能找到一份工作。我相信他们应该给我一些时间来证明自己的能力，”她说。
"I came to listen to what they were saying," she said, "maybe find an opportunity for a job. I think they can give me a chance, they should just be given some time to do that."
当地的UDA青年领袖约翰·基拉古（John Kiragu）表示，他理解那些促使年轻人走上街头抗议的不满情绪。
John Kiragu, a local UDA youth leader, said he understood the grievances that had driven young people to protest.
“确实遇到了一些挑战，”他说，“但如今政府正在竭尽全力来凝聚年轻人的力量。政府正在实施一些能够真正改善他们生活状况的举措。”基拉古告诉我，他参与了一个针对青少年酗酒问题的项目——这在该地区确实是一个严重的问题。许多参加上午市政会议的年轻人当时都已经喝下了当地廉价的酒。
"There have been challenges," he said, "but now the government is really trying hard to consolidate the youth. The government is implementing programmes that will really uplift their lives." Kiragu told me he was involved in a programme to deal with youth alcoholism – a real problem in this region. Many of the young men who attended the morning town hall meeting were already drunk on a cheap local liquor.
当地足球队的队长卡尔文·韦尔也来到了现场听取政府的公告。他说，他之前听过很多类似的承诺，尤其是在选举前夕；不过这次承诺并不会影响他的投票决定。
The captain of the local football team, Calvin Ware, also turned up to hear the stadium announcement. He said he had heard similar promises many times before, especially before elections, and this one was not going to influence his vote. "We have already made our mind," he said.
“我们的想法已经很明确了，”他说，“整个政府都应该下台。我们希望建设一个全新的肯尼亚，培养新一代的年轻人；我们需要的不是基于部落忠诚或其他因素的领导层，我们只渴望改变——仅仅就是改变。”就在我们交谈的时候，突然传来一阵热烈的欢呼声——活动已经结束，人们开始排队领取现金补贴（每人350肯尼亚先令，约合3美元或2.20英镑）。
"The whole government should go home. We want to build a new Kenya, new youth, new people, fresh people from all over the country, and we are not basing on tribal [allegiances] or anything else. We just want a change, a change, and a change. Nothing else." As we were speaking, we heard a loud cheer – the event had ended and people were lining up to receive cash handouts – 350 Kenyan shillings, about $3 (£2.20).
在肯尼亚，用金钱来吸引人们参加政治会议是一种常见的做法；政客们甚至会投入更多的资金来试图影响选民的投票结果。
It is common practice to pay people to attend political meetings in Kenya, and politicians can use much larger sums to try and influence votes.
“与其他许多国家相比，金钱在这里的选举中起着决定性的作用，”政治分析师姆博亚指出，“肯尼亚的政治成本要高得多。”距离肯尼亚的选举还有不到一年的时间，看起来政治格局确实有可能发生变化——年轻人的失望情绪可能会对选举结果产生影响。尽管Z世代已经拒绝了那些依赖种族因素和金钱的“旧式政治模式”，但这些因素一直以来都是肯尼亚选举中获胜的关键因素。
"More so than many other parts of the world, money talks in an election here," says political analyst Mboya. "The cost of politics is significantly higher than in other parts of the world." Less than a year to Kenya's election, it does feel like politics might be changing, that the race could be shaped by youth disillusionment with the political establishment. But while the Gen Z movement has rejected the "old politics" based on ethnic group and money, those have been the building blocks that win elections in Kenya.
目前还没有人能够预见到Z世代选民在投票时会产生怎样的影响……欲了解更多来自非洲大陆的新闻，请继续关注我们的报道。
Nobody yet knows what the energy of Gen Z voters will mean at the ballot box. Go to for more news from the African continent.