Police fired teargas and made dozens of arrests across Nairobi and other major towns on Thursday as Kenyans took to the streets to mark the second anniversary of the historic 2024 Gen Z-led anti-Finance Bill protests that shook the country and left over 120 people dead.
The day, referred to by activists and youth groups as “Gen Z Liberation Day,” was intended as a peaceful commemoration — a moment of national remembrance to honour those who lost their lives during the 2024 demonstrations and the subsequent 2025 anniversaries. Instead, it was met with heavy police deployment, roadblocks, and confrontations in several parts of the country.
In Nairobi, families of victims, flanked by opposition leaders Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Siaya Governor James Orengo and Eugene Wamalwa, began a solemn march from Serena Hotel along Kenyatta Avenue towards Parliament, where they intended to lay wreaths in memory of the fallen.
Speaking before the march, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka criticised the government over police roadblocks, saying they had disrupted ordinary Kenyans going about their day.
The procession came to an abrupt halt on Parliament Road, where participants staged a sit-in after police blocked access to the parliamentary precinct. Hussein Khalid, CEO of Vocal Africa, speaking on behalf of the victims’ families, said they were determined to complete the march and honour those killed.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga, who had joined the procession, was whisked away after police ordered the crowd to disperse. Teargas was subsequently lobbed along University Way as protesters regrouped and marched through the city centre, drawing heavy police presence along their route.
Comedian and government critic Eric Omondi was among those arrested, forcefully bundled into a police vehicle near the Kenya International Conference Centre after a brief scuffle with plain-clothes officers.
In Kitengela, at least 29 people were arrested. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, who visited officers on the ground, said those arrested would either be charged or released if evidence was insufficient.
“Even in Nairobi town, I have seen Kenyans laying wreaths and flowers at Parliament escorted by police, and I am happy,” Kanja told journalists.
Tension also flared in Githurai 45, where youths blocked sections of the Thika Superhighway using stones and lit bonfires. Plain-clothes officers on motorbikes were filmed firing into the air to disperse crowds. Thika Road remained largely impassable for motorists throughout the afternoon.
In Mombasa, protesters converged at the CBD carrying a symbolic coffin, with heavy police presence reported around Mwembe Tayari and areas near Posta.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen had on Wednesday assured Kenyans that police would protect peaceful demonstrators, but the events of Thursday told a more complicated story.
