Kenyan police mounted a major show of force on Thursday to discourage protests marking two years since the 2024 Gen Z uprising. Demonstrations swept Kenya in June 2024 over economic hardship and corruption, climaxing in protesters storming parliament and forcing the government to scrap proposed tax hikes. The movement crossed ethnic lines that have traditionally divided Kenyan politics, and June 25 has since become an annual protest date amid continued frustration with President William Ruto’s administration.
At least 127 people have died across two years of protests, according to a police watchdog, with security forces accused of using lethal force with near-total impunity.On Thursday, police set up roadblocks on major roads around Nairobi, while schools and businesses closed. AFP journalists observed police wagons, mounted patrols, barbed wire surrounding government buildings, and a heavy presence of plainclothes officers.
“They know people are not afraid of police in uniform. But they are scared of these plainclothes cops because they can just kill you and go,” said Moses, 31, a motorbike-taxi driver.Some residents said fear kept them away. “I don’t want to die, I’m the oldest. I just want to work,” one young woman told AFP.
Ruto said this week that Kenyans have a right to protest but cautioned against those “mobilised to destroy property or cause chaos.” Politicians have previously been accused of deploying armed groups, described as “goons,” who have been blamed for looting during demonstrations. AFP journalists saw such groups operating alongside police during protests last year.
Rigathi Gachagua, Ruto’s former deputy and now a political rival, urged young Kenyans to stay home, saying: “The state has organised terror against Kenyans.”Despite the heavy deployment, some protesters gathered. Kasim Ramadan, 25, said he and several friends were tear-gassed before 8 a.m. but planned to continue. “We’re not scared. We will protest. We are here for the ones who died in the parliament,” he said.
