Today is the very day, long awaited, The
Gen Z Memorial March, Political Fractures, as rhe Nation Holding Its Breath* with government shaking*# A Date Burned Into Kenya's Memory
June 25 is no longer just a date on the calendar. It has become a wound one that the Kenyan government cannot close with silence, compensation cheques, or stern warnings.
Two years ago, over 60 protesters were killed and more than 80 abducted during the historic Gen Z-led demonstrations that rocked President William Ruto's government. Young Kenyans, organized almost entirely through social media, stormed Parliament and forced the withdrawal of the controversial Finance Bill 2024, a landmark moment in the country's political history.
On the first anniversary, June 25, 2025, at least 16 more people were killed and over 400 injured as police again confronted protesters across 27 counties.
Now, as the second anniversary arrives on Thursday, June 25, 2026, Kenya is bracing once again with the streets, the courts, and the political class all in a state of high tension.
# What Is the Memorial March?
Youth organizers and civil society groups have described the June 25, 2026 events as a "memorial march" a day to honour young Kenyans who lost their lives during the 2024 protests and subsequent demonstrations. "June 25 will be like a second independence for Kenya," activist Boniface Mwangi called it"A liberation day.
Activities are scheduled across all 47 counties, with Nairobi as the focal point. Events include protests, vigils, and memorial marches. Organizers say participants will also call for accountability, police reforms, and action on the economic grievances that first drove young Kenyans into the streets.
The core demand remains unchanged: justice for the dead and the disappeared. Only three cases from the 2024 protest deaths, and one from 2025, have come to court, and no officer has been convicted. Global rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have noted that dozens of government critics were also abducted, and many have never been seen again.
# Why Has This Shaken the Government?
The Kenyan government finds itself trapped in a difficult contradiction. On one hand, it has opened discussions about compensation for victims of protest-related violence a subtle acknowledgement that June 25 cannot simply be erased from public memory. On the other hand, the President and the Interior Minister have warned Kenyans participating in the commemorations to beware of "goons.
What rattles the government most is the nature of this movement. June 25 disrupted Kenya's established political script. The young people who filled the streets were not mobilised through ethnicity. They carried Kenyan flags, mobile phones and bottles of water rather than party colours and campaign slogans. They forced one of the most dramatic policy reversals in recent Kenyan history and that unsettled the political class deeply.
President Ruto recently announced a fund of nearly $15 million to compensate 1,100 people affected by violent protests, describing the payments as "an acknowledgement that harm occurred," but stopping short of an apology.
Families of victims, however, are not moved. Gillian Munyao, whose son Rex Masai was among the first killed in June 2024, said: "He's covering up the wrongs that he did. 'He just wants us to shut up because of the cash' the peanuts. I'm not seeing justice anywhere. Why pay us without giving the culprit?"
# The Government's Restrictions and Conditions
While the constitutional right to peaceful protest has not been officially revoked, the government has effectively placed the demonstrations under a cloud of restriction and warning.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura declared that June 25 is not a public holiday and ordered citizens to report to work. "The government clarifies that the 25th of June is not a public holiday and will remain a working day. Citizens are urged to move forward and work that day constructively to build our economy," he said, warning that the government would not allow activities that disrupt businesses or threaten public safety.
Police have maintained that no formal authorisation has been granted for the protests, warning that the demonstrations will not be permitted to proceed freely. Heightened security deployments are expected in urban centres across the country, with possible road closures and traffic disruptions anticipated in Nairobi's Central Business District, near Parliament, and along major roads.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen directed police to use minimal force and prioritise the protection of life, but warned that the government would act firmly against any criminal elements who may infiltrate demonstrations.
Critically, Murkomen admitted that the government could not guarantee it would stop all criminal infiltrators: "I cannot guarantee 100 per cent that we will have enough police officers to lock potential goons in their homes, but what I can guarantee Kenyans is that we will be ruthless when it comes to dealing with criminals who would want to infiltrate any peaceful protests.
# Why Does the Government View This Event as a Threat or Crime?
Since the 2024 protests, the government has followed what analysts describe as an old Kenyan political playbook mixing incentives for a few with the prospect of brutality for many. Activists have been targeted for extrajudicial abductions and interrogations. Enforcers-for-hire, or "goons," have deployed en masse with clubs and whips to confront peaceful demonstrators.
To the Ruto administration, large street demonstrations represent a direct challenge to state authority particularly ahead of the crucial 2027 general elections. President Ruto accused politicians of inciting protests with the aim of rejecting the 2026 Finance Bill, stating that they should "stop the propaganda that might plunge the country into chaos and eventual anarchy.
Mwaura drew a firm line between lawful protest and violent disruption, insisting that "constitutional rights must not be weaponised for political ends," and warning that violence during demonstrations is "criminal under our criminal law.
Critics, however, have challenged the government's logic. If security agencies know who the "goons" are, why have they not been arrested? Why are warnings directed at peaceful protesters rather than at alleged perpetrators? The obligation to facilitate the constitutional right to assemble rests on the State, not on citizens.
# Why the The Government Points Fingers at the Opposition?
Predictably, the government has attempted to frame the memorial march as a politically orchestrated event driven by opposition ambitions — not a genuine civic commemoration.
Interior CS Murkomen accused protest organisers, without evidence, of mobilising people from Nyeri, Murang'a, Thika and other predominantly Kikuyu regions to fuel unrest in Nairobi, claiming they were "the same individuals seen looting and robbing citizens."
Opposition politicians have indeed been jostling to be at the forefront of the demonstrations, with eyes firmly on the 2027 General Election. Among those who formally notified police of the planned march were Siaya Senator James Orengo, Martha Karua of the People's Liberation Party, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, and former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana.
Orengo and his group, which includes ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, have previously suggested the protests should be used to remove President Ruto's administration from power — providing the government with ammunition to paint the entire memorial as politically motivated.
#Why did ODM Tells Its Supporters to Stay back?
In one of the most telling political moves of the week, ODM, the party of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has urged its supporters not to participate in the protests. This is significant because ODM is technically in government as part of the broad-based coalition, and its silence on police brutality has been loudly noted. though not it's members have been left unturned on the police brutality.
Leaders allied with ODM have called on their supporters to stay home on Thursday, saying there is no need for them to participate in the demonstrations.
Makadara MP and ODM Nairobi County Chairman George Aladwa backed ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga's position, stating: "I fully support ODM National Chairperson Governor Gladys Wanga and the party leadership in urging ODM supporters and all peace-loving Kenyans to stay away from the planned June 25 protests."
ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga said Kenyans should be cautious of leaders taking advantage of youth to achieve political ambitions, with other ODM-aligned figures including Suna East MP Junet Mohamed maintaining that "dialogue and peaceful engagement remain the best avenues for resolving political and social issues."
However, the ODM split is not clean. The Linda Mwananchi political faction — a breakaway wing aligned with Edwin Sifuna — postponed its own rallies in Kisii and Keroka specifically to allow supporters to join the June 25 memorial demonstrations, saying: "Our supporters will join fellow Kenyans in commemorating June 25.
# Why The Stunning U-Turn of Rigathi Gachagua?
Perhaps the most dramatic twist in this already turbulent week has come from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who only months ago pledged to march alongside Gen Z.
The move marks a dramatic about-turn for Gachagua, who as recently as April publicly backed Gen Z's right to protest and pledged that the United Opposition would march alongside the youth during the anniversary.
Now he is saying the opposite. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, June 23, Gachagua claimed he had received intelligence reports of a coordinated scheme involving Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, and Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja to finance and deploy criminal gangs in the Mt Kenya region and Nairobi. He alleged that 200 million shillings was withdrawn from a bank in Upperhill specifically to fund goons for Thursday June 25th.
He claimed senior police officers had told him they were "uncomfortable with instructions that they should keep away and let goons cause chaos in the region.
Gachagua urged Gen Zs to skip the demonstrations and wait for the 2027 election: "I would kindly appeal to the Gen Zs to keep off the streets on Thursday. We need them next year. Retreat is not surrender and it is not cowardice. There is a better way to deal with Ruto constitutionally... Please my sons and daughters, you cannot vote when you are dead."
He also called for a nationwide stay-at-home, urging business owners in Nairobi and the Mount Kenya region to shut down and for motorists to keep off the roads. The government's Interior Ministry denied all the allegations, with Murkomen stating: "The government does not handle goons. The institution mandated to deal with criminals is the National Police Service.
Notably, some ODM legislators have quietly agreed with Gachagua's position. Caleb Amisi, an ODM MP, stated: "I agree with Rigathi Gachagua. Do not play into government hands of killing protesters.
# What Should We Expect on Thursday, June 25?
Kenya is heading into the day with every element for a powder keg in place a traumatized public, a nervous government, divided opposition, and a generation that has shown it will not be silenced.
Demonstrations and memorial events are expected across all 47 counties, with Nairobi particularly the Central Business District and areas near Parliament as the primary flashpoint. Road closures, traffic disruptions, and possible business shutdowns are anticipated.
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops urged restraint and peaceful conduct, calling for justice for those killed, injured or missing, and strongly condemning what they described as the "weaponisation of violence" and the normalisation of "goonism" referencing a recent attack at All Saints Cathedral.
Political analyst Kelvin Ochol has warned that without meaningful engagement from the government, street protests could become a permanent fixture in Kenya's political landscape. For Gen Z, the street has become not just a space for dissent, but for remembrance, resistance, and a redefinition of civic identity.
What unites the protesters is a demand for change an end to impunity and corruption, more economic opportunity, and the retirement of the old Kenyan political playbook. That aspiration puts young Kenyans in direct opposition to their entire political leadership, on both sides of the divide.
What is certain today is this: Will this June 25, 2026 pass without blood shed? The only question is what kind of Kenya emerges on this day...June 25th.
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