Gen Z’s must take up their rightful Space at the corporate table

By Mwenda Thuranira

There’s a saying that if you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu.

Over the past year, I’ve watched Kenya’s Gen Z rise—bold, unapologetic, and plugged into a level of civic consciousness we’ve not witnessed in decades. They've shown they are no longer content to be spectators of national discourse. They want to be heard, seen, and counted. And rightly so.

As someone who has spent the better part of two decades in business, and recently completed my memoir Taking Up Space, I’ve come to appreciate a simple truth: no one really hands you a seat at the table. You carve it. You earn it. You insist on it.

Writing my memoir was, for lack of a better word, cathartic. There’s something sobering about putting your life on paper. You’re forced to retrace your steps—decisions made, chances taken, risks embraced or avoided. One realisation that stood out for me was this: where you end up in life is rarely by luck. It is almost always the sum total of the choices you make, the resilience you exercise, and the audacity you muster.

Which brings me to this message: Gen Z, while your energy in demanding a political seat at the table is admirable, don’t stop there. Take that same fire to the corporate and entrepreneurial arenas. Kenya is hungry for your innovation, your digital fluency, your refusal to play by tired rules. But don’t expect space to be handed to you. Take it.

The boardrooms are calling. So are the studios, the construction sites, the venture capital tables, and the coding labs. The corporate Kenya of today is not what it was 10 years ago. It’s more open, more vulnerable to disruption, and more desperate for fresh thinking than ever before. That’s your cue.

As CEO of MySpace, a business that operates at the intersection of property and innovation, I’ve seen firsthand how traditional industries are ripe for reinvention. Real estate is not just about bricks and mortar anymore; it’s about data, user experience, digital access, sustainability, and storytelling. And this new age requires a new kind of thinker.

Let’s face it: some of us in the older generation are becoming too comfortable. We hide behind old models and resist discomfort. We use phrases like “this is how we’ve always done it” as shields against change. But Gen Z, with their savviness, impatience, and global outlook, are the necessary disruption.

So, here’s the deal: don’t just tweet and protest. Build. Build startups that will render old models obsolete. Use your coding skills to create platforms that disintermediate middlemen. Use your design thinking to reshape how we deliver services. Use your data fluency to unlock market insights that most boardrooms haven’t even dreamt of.

But—and this is important—don’t come in entitled. Come in ready to prove yourselves. Innovation is not a right; it’s a responsibility. The table isn’t a free buffet. It’s a potluck. Bring something of value.

Don’t wait to be employed. Employ yourself—and others. Don’t wait to be told the rules. Write your own. Don't shrink yourself to fit into boardrooms. Redesign the boardroom.

There is an opportunity in every sector—whether it’s fintech, real estate, agriculture, media, or the creative economy. But it will not yield itself passively. You will have to demand it with your excellence, with your consistency, with your work ethic and with your refusal to settle for mediocre mentorship.

Kenya’s future does not belong to those with the loudest slogans, but to those with the most sustainable solutions. So if you are young and talented, don’t sit on the sidelines waiting to be recognised. Claim your space. Build your legacy. Don’t just take up space—transform it.

Mwenda Thuranira is the CEO of MySpace Properties and author of “Taking Up Space: A Memoir.”