Kenyans are being called to stay at home on June 25 to remember the young lives lost during anti-government protests over the past two years. The remembrance march, organised under the banners of #HakiSasa and #JusticeNow, is set to be a sombre nationwide event. Organisers have urged citizens to keep off work and school on that day as part of a national moment of reflection for those who died during demonstrations.
In a significant move on Thursday, families of the victims, accompanied by prominent legal and political figures, marched to the office of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja at Vigilance House in Nairobi. They were joined by former Chief Justice Emeritus Willy Mutunga, Senior Counsel Martha Karua, Siaya Governor James Orengo, Senior Counsel Gitobu Imanyara, former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, and Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) Executive Director Khelef Khalifa. The procession was aimed at formally notifying the police of their planned memorial activities so that there are no misunderstandings come that day.
The families are seeking a firm assurance from the Inspector General that police will protect lives and property during the peaceful marches planned across the country on June 25. They emphasised that no parent should ever have to lose a child for participating in a peaceful demonstration. The commemoration follows the deaths of young Kenyans during the June 2024 protests against the Finance Bill, where security officers were accused of using excessive force against demonstrators.
In Nairobi, parents, siblings, relatives, and friends of those who died are expected to march to Parliament on June 25 to demand justice. They plan to lay flowers at locations where some of the victims were killed, turning those spots into shrines of remembrance. The families have also called for an end to deaths linked to protests, insisting that their children were simply exercising their constitutional right to petition public officers over governance concerns.
Governor James Orengo urged all Kenyans to join the march to Parliament to demand justice and lay flowers where lives were cruelly taken. He stressed that no amount of compensation can substitute for justice for the affected families, and that the government must take responsibility. The leaders warned against any attempts by rogue elements to disrupt the planned memorial activities and urged police to facilitate rather than frustrate peaceful gatherings.
As of Thursday evening, Inspector General Douglas Kanja had not publicly issued a detailed response to the demands presented by the families and their legal representatives. The families have pledged to honour their loved ones by marching peacefully, insisting that the memories of those who died will not be forgotten until justice is achieved and such tragedies never happen again.
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