Kenya on edge as protest anniversary stirs fears of fresh violence
Nairobi came to a standstill on Thursday as security forces sealed off major roads, shuttered schools, and
blanketed the city with checkpoints in a bid to head off protests marking two years since Kenya’s Gen Z uprising. The show of force underscored a lingering fear of violence — both from demonstrators and from the state itself.
The protests began in June 2024, when thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets to decry soaring living costs and endemic corruption. The movement reached a tipping point when demonstrators stormed parliament, forcing President William Ruto to abandon a controversial tax package. June 25 has since become an annual rallying date — a symbol of youth defiance that cut across ethnic lines. But the two years of protests have come at a heavy cost. According to a police watchdog, at least 127 people have been killed, many at the hands of security forces who have acted with near-total impunity.
On Thursday, the capital’s central business district — the epicenter of past unrest — remained eerily quiet under a heavy police presence. Public transport was blocked, and offices stayed shuttered. “The government should let people protest,” said Beatrice, a 26-year-old who walked to work after her usual bus route was cut. “What I urge is that police be gentle on people, and people should be gentle on the police.”
President Ruto, who this week acknowledged the right to protest, warned against anyone “mobilised to destroy property or cause chaos.” Yet critics point out that his government has often deployed armed “goons” — paid thugs who operate alongside police — to break up rallies. Last year, AFP reporters witnessed scores of such men attacking crowds, and they have since been used to disrupt opposition events and even civil-society meetings in churches. Ruto’s former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua — now a bitter rival — urged young Kenyans to stay home. “The state has organised terror against Kenyans,” he warned.
Near one roadblock, 24-year-old motorbike-taxi driver Emmanuel dismissed the early calm as deceptive. “It’s too early. We’re warming up. We’re tired of this economy. (Ruto) must go,” he told AFP.
Political analyst Gabrielle Lynch said Ruto is “clearly very unpopular with many Kenyans, especially the Gen Z.” She added that he is “using security and intelligence services to make Kenyans worried about speaking out against the state.” The president has tried to extend an olive branch: last week he announced compensation for more than 1,100 victims of protest-related violence. “No other administration in the past since post-independence Kenya has made payouts to victims of protests,” said analyst Javas Bigambo, who also noted Ruto’s ambitious plans for social housing, health insurance, and infrastructure.
With elections due in August 2027, Ruto benefits from a fractured opposition. “His competitors are only criticising and not offering an alternative pathway,” said Bigambo. Yet many fear the run-up to the vote will see politicians mobilising ever-larger numbers of armed supporters — goons who, once unleashed, are hard to control. “I’m worried about next year,” said Lynch. “We know from history that once you’ve mobilised those groups, you can’t always control them afterwards.”