On July 28, 2018, Seth Kikuni officially submitted his candidacy for the Congolese presidential election.
The move marked his visible entry into national politics.
A young entrepreneur, he entered a landscape dominated by historic figures, powerful coalitions and established political machines.
His positioning rested on a simple idea: Congolese youth should no longer only comment on politics, but also take part in it.
In a public scene often controlled by seniority, money, networks and power relations, his candidacy drew attention.
It did not immediately transform the electoral balance, but it created a symbol.
The symbol of a generation refusing to wait for permission.
After the election, Kikuni continued to speak publicly and build a political presence around reform, responsibility and generational change.
His journey shows that pressure on critical voices does not always begin with arrest or trial.
It can also begin with exposure, monitoring of public speech and the difficulty of existing politically outside traditional blocs.