Morara Kebaso Snr is a Kenyan who describes himself in his online profile as “A Dangerously Intelligent Lawyer. Bishop of Merciless Peace & Chief Registrar of Broken Promises.” He is a campaigner against corruption and has attracted more than 137,000 followers on X by traveling around the country and posting videos of “white elephant” projects to show how public funds are being wasted or pilfered.

“It’s a big joke!” Kebaso exclaims in one video, as he stands along a mostly dirt track that he can straddle with his feet and explains how nearly $2 million was paid to the contractor to build a major road. In another, he’s at the site of a costly dam project announced with fanfare six years ago that today is nothing but tea bushes. At one rural primary school, officials spent more than $7,000 for a single goal post on an empty sports field.

“Tell me whether the leaders we have in this country are actually interested in good governance,” he says to the camera. “I can most assuredly tell you that they are not interested.”

Kebaso’s posts have made him something of a social media star. But he’s not alone. A new generation of African online activists and influencers is now driving the continent’s political narrative. These digital warriors are exposing corruption, holding government leaders to account, providing live news feeds during key events and, for the first time, giving young Africans a powerful new voice to speak truth to........

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