Sixteen Killed, Hundreds Injured, in Antigovernment Kenyan Protests

Demonstrators rally against police brutality and government corruption to commemorate last year’s youth-led protests.

A protester reacts in front of a burning barricade in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, June 25, 2025 [Luis Tato/AFP]

25 Jun 2025

At least 16 people have been killed in nationwide rallies against police brutality and government corruption in Kenya, according to Amnesty International and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

Another 400 people were injured on Wednesday, including protesters, police and journalists. The casualties included people hit by live fire and others who were wounded by rubber bullets, or were beaten, and were primarily in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Demonstrators had clashed with police, who hurled tear gas canisters and wielded batons. The protests mark one year since people stormed parliament at the peak of antigovernment demonstrations.

Thousands took to the streets to commemorate last year’s youth-led demonstrations against tax rises, during which at least 60 people were killed by security forces, according to rights groups.

Among the crowds in the capital, some waved Kenyan flags and placards with pictures of demonstrators killed last year and chanted “Ruto must go”, referring to President William Ruto, whose proposed tax hikes triggered last year’s youth-led protests.

“I’ve come here as a Kenyan youth to protest. It is our right for the sake of our fellow Kenyans who were killed last year. The police are here … they are supposed to protect us, but they kill us,” Eve, a 24-year-old woman, told the AFP news agency.

“It is extremely important that the young people mark June 25th because they lost people who look like them, who speak like them … who are fighting for good governance,” said Angel Mbuthia, chair of the youth league for the opposition Jubilee Party.

Protesters also gathered in various other parts of the country, including in the town of Matuu, approximately 100km (62 miles) from the capital, where there were reports of clashes.

Police blocked main roads leading into the capital’s central business district, while government buildings were barricaded with razor wire.

The government ordered TV and radio stations to halt live coverage of the protests.

NetBlocks, a global internet tracker, said social media platform Telegram had been restricted. And Kenyan broadcaster KTN was taken off the air later on Wednesday, a senior official at its parent company, Nation Media Group, said.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, reporting from Nairobi, said protests across the country “have been met with a lot of violence by the police”.

About a dozen people have been treated for gunshot wounds, he said, citing local media reports.

Kenya’s Citizen TV reported that protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu on the outskirts of Nairobi.

Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri.

Police brutality

The anniversary comes amid soaring anger about police brutality, particularly after 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang, was killed in custody earlier this month following his arrest for criticising a senior officer.

Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday for Ojwang’s killing. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Police have said protests are permitted as long as they are “peaceful and unarmed”.

But a group of peaceful protesters was attacked last week by a large gang of motorbike-riding “goons”, as they are known in Kenya, armed with whips and clubs and working in tandem with the police.

On Tuesday, the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other Western nations released a joint statement on X urging all involved to “facilitate peaceful demonstrations and to refrain from violence”.

“The use of plain clothed officers in unmarked vehicles erodes public trust,” the statement said. Rights campaigners condemned the presence of unidentified police officers at protests last year.

Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late on Tuesday that any policing violations would be addressed through government institutions, including the parliament and the judiciary.

“The ministry reminds all that diplomatic partnerships flourish best in mutual respect, open channels and a recognition of each other’s unique governance contexts,” it said.

There is also growing resentment among young people towards Ruto, who came to power in 2022, promising rapid economic progress.

Many have been disillusioned by continued stagnation, corruption and high taxes, even after last year’s protests forced Ruto to cancel an unpopular finance bill. His government has been at pains to avoid direct tax rises this year.

But the frequent disappearances of government critics – rights groups have counted more than 80 since last year’s protests, with dozens still missing – have led many to accuse Ruto of returning Kenya to the dark days of its dictatorship in the 1980s and 90s.

Ruto previously promised an end to abductions but was unapologetic in a speech on Tuesday, pledging to “stand by” the police.

“You cannot use force against the police or insult, or threaten the police,” he warned protesters. “You are threatening our nation.”

Source: News Agencies

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