Kenyan police detained hundreds of people and used tear gas on Thursday as families of those killed in the 2024 anti-government protests marched toward Parliament to demand compensation and justice, two years after the original demonstrations turned deadly.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said 355 people were arrested across the country, describing those detained as criminals while apologizing for the disruption caused by roadblocks and other security measures, which he said were nonetheless effective at containing the unrest. Journalists and witnesses on the ground disputed that characterization, saying many of those swept up appeared to be ordinary citizens rather than agitators. Security forces also fired tear gas at a separate group gathered peacefully outside Nairobi’s main police station after officers detained several people near Parliament who had gone there to lay flowers for the dead.
The original protests, which broke out on June 25, 2024, were triggered by a finance bill that proposed tax increases at a time of rising living costs. Thousands of young Kenyans stormed Parliament grounds in anger, and the security crackdown that followed left at least 60 people dead. President William Ruto had said in the run-up to this year’s anniversary that the commemoration would be permitted, while warning against any attempt to disrupt the country.
Grief among victims’ families remains raw and, in many cases, compounded by frustration over compensation. Edith Wanjiku, whose 19-year-old son Ibrahim Kamau died of gunshot wounds, said her family has still not received any payment despite submitting documentation to the state-run human rights commission, and she questioned what criteria the government is using to decide which families get compensated. Gillian Munyao, whose son Rex Masai was also killed, said money cannot substitute for accountability, calling instead for the prosecution of the officers responsible. Ruto has said the government’s compensation framework acknowledges that harm occurred without amounting to an admission of guilt, and has cautioned against treating it as a reward for unrest. The chair of the compensation panel said this week that the process is ongoing and that all verified claims will eventually be paid. Three police officers have so far been charged over the 2024 deaths.
Opposition figures, including former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, former Justice Minister Martha Karua and former Chief Justice David Maraga, joined Thursday’s march alongside activists and the victims’ families, underscoring how the anniversary has become a broader flashpoint for grievances against the Ruto government, which has also faced recent protests from transport unions over fuel prices.
