Prominent Gen Z activist and broadcaster Hanifa Adan has announced her resignation from Radio Generation, ending a four-month run at the station that she says reshaped her understanding of journalism.
In a lengthy statement shared on social media on Wednesday, August 5, Hanifa disclosed that her interview with Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa was her final appearance on air, revealing that she had already resigned by the time the segment aired. She described the encounter as the moment that best summed up the lessons of her brief stint in broadcast media, admitting she had approached the role more as an activist than a trained journalist.
Hanifa joined Radio Generation Kenya in April 2026 as a co-host of The Generation Report, a current affairs programme airing weekly on Monday evenings. She said she initially struggled to separate her activist convictions from the demands of impartial reporting, admitting she had little patience for politicians she believed had contributed to the country’s governance problems and had at times declined to interview some of them altogether.
According to Hanifa, colleagues frequently accused her of allowing personal bias to colour her interviews, particularly when questioning politicians aligned with the ruling United Democratic Alliance. She said the criticism initially frustrated her but eventually pushed her toward a broader realisation about the boundaries between advocacy and journalism, summing it up simply: journalism, she said, is not activism.
She cited her interview with activist-turned-politician Kasmuel McOure as another turning point, noting that although she had initially resisted the assignment, the conversation ultimately remained respectful and reinforced the distinction between the two roles.
Beyond her departure from radio, Hanifa also reflected on the personal toll of nearly two years of sustained public activism, describing constant scrutiny, misinformation and the difficulty of securing stable employment as an outspoken public figure. She dismissed suggestions that her advocacy work was donor-funded, saying freelance writing and consultancy work have instead sustained her financially.
Hanifa rose to national prominence during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, where she became a leading voice among young Kenyans mobilising online and coordinating support for demonstrators. She later spearheaded the Care for the Injured campaign, which raised roughly Ksh31 million for victims of the protests, and has since written commentary for the Eastleigh Voice and Nation Media Group.
Despite stepping away from Radio Generation, Hanifa indicated she is already moving toward a new opportunity, though she did not disclose further details of her next role.
