Mercy Tarus is a young woman who captured national attention in 2023 by highlighting issues with a scholarship scandal in Uasin Gishu County.

She has since taken up online activism and recently joined colleagues Wanjira Wanjiru and Kasmuel Mcoure on Citizen TV to discuss Gen Z protests.

Hosted by journalist Yvonne Okwara, the discussion took place on the "Explainer" segment on Tuesday, July 16, at 9 pm, focusing on bad governance, broken promises, and more.

The conversation, which was followed by Kenyans on X spaces, saw many praising Tarus for her fierce opinions. Yvonne introduced the topic by asking about the ongoing protests:

"The protest started off with fighting the Finance Bill. That happened, and then it was about the Cabinet. The President conceded again. So someone is asking why the protests are continuing. What do you want with the protests right now?"

Mercy responded, "Right now, what we are saying is the Government is speaking a different language than the one they used to campaign with."

She pointed out the promise to end extrajudicial killings: "We have seen on social media and online people being shot at with live bullets and tear gas canisters. We have lost lives, and we are asking for accountability for those lives."

She also highlighted other problems young Kenyans face with the government, including the hiring of key officials and their qualifications:

"If you fired on incompetence, then that means that you hired on incompetence, and the people hired on incompetence also hired others on incompetence. So the problem does not stop there."

The debate saw Mercy analyze the education sector, where she felt that the government has reduced capitation:

"You want to reduce access to education, you want to take the money meant for education and put it somewhere else, and so this Gen Alpha will not get the free education that we got.

What is the intention? Are you trying to keep us illiterate so that you can control us? Are you trying to take away from the progress we have made as a country?" she passionately spoke.

According to her online bio, Mercy is the founder of Kenya Ni Home Initiative. She also describes herself as an educationist for an organization called MEPA, a human rights defender, and a mental health advocate.

She enjoys a large following on social media and is the author of a book titled; "If Tomorrow Comes Without Me."