Original article by Nicholas Mwangi republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

What was meant to be a solemn commemoration of the first anniversary of the historic anti-Finance Bill protests in Kenya turned chaotic on Tuesday as police clashed with demonstrators across several cities. Police used tear gas and water cannons against largely peaceful protesters, who had gathered to honor those killed during last year’s unrest and to demand justice over recent cases of police brutality and enforced disappearances.

At least 16 people were confirmed dead, with hundreds injured, after law enforcement agencies used excessive force to suppress the gatherings.

“The protests now symbolize indictments of the system itself – a system defined by authoritarianism, police violence, austerity, foreign domination, and the privatization of every public good. The state responded as expected – not with dialogue, but with bullets,” Rodgers, a grassroots organizer with the Nairobi chapter of the Social Justice Movement, told Peoples Dispatch.

The 2024 Finance Bill protests

Last year’s demonstrations, which began in response to the controversial Finance Bill 2024, led to a brutal crackdown that left over 60 young people dead, hundreds injured, and many arrested. The bill, championed by the government of President William Ruto, was widely criticized for introducing punitive taxes on essential goods and services amidst a cost-of-living crisis.

This year’s protests were organized to honor those who lost their lives during the 2024 demonstrations. However, they also served as a platform to raise alarm over recent developments, including the killing of a popular blogger in police custody and a worrying surge in abductions of activists and dissenters.

Read more: Amid economic hardship and repression, Kenyans reject the Finance Bill 2024

Media blackout raises alarm

In what many have called a blatant attempt to stifle freedom of the press, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) ordered a suspension of live TV coverage of the protests. Several local stations, including Citizen TV, NTV, KTN were either switched off or restricted, preventing real-time reporting of the police response and protest.

Many people also condemned the presence of infiltrators and hired goons among the protestors. These individuals were allegedly used to discredit the demonstrations by engaging in looting and property destruction tactics used as part of a wider strategy to delegitimize grassroots mobilization and participation in protests.

Despite the violent disruptions, the anniversary protests saw thousands of Kenyans across the country take to the streets. Demonstrators carried placards bearing the names of those killed in 2024 and chanted slogans demanding accountability, justice, and police reform.

Voices from the protests

In dialogue with Peoples Dispatch, Rodgers, a grassroots organizer with the Nairobi chapter of the Social Justice Movement, reflected on the deeper meaning behind the protests:

“The June 25 protest went beyond just being a memorial. It was a continuity of a political statement from the people that they will not fear to remain defiant in the face of systemic oppression. Exactly one year since mass uprisings shook the country in opposition to the punitive Finance Bill 2024 and broader economic injustice, the people came back to the streets with even more clarity and unity.”

We just arrived where comrade Alex Maasai was murdered by Ruto thugs and the Kenya Police, in the morning we visited Central police where Albert Ojwang’ was murdered my Lagat and his criminal gangs #OccupyUntilVictory pic.twitter.com/87b6SI5UiR

— Booker Ngesa Omole ☭ (@BookerBiro) June 25, 2025

Rodgers emphasized that what distinguished this year’s protests was not only their scale – reaching 27 of Kenya’s 47 counties – but the emergence of a clearly articulated political program from below.

Citing reports confirming that between 8 and 16 people were killed and over 400 injured, Rodgers also condemned the regime’s attempt to suppress the truth by shutting down live broadcasts, which he said “exposed repression on free speech and its fear of truth, transparency, and the voice of the people.”

“The people are now conscious that the crisis in Kenya is political as much as it is systemic. It is a crisis of legitimacy, where the ruling class governs through force and deception, abandoning constitutional obligations like Article 43 on economic and social rights.”

He described the protest movement as part of a broader class struggle – pitting a parasitic elite backed by global capital against a rising mass of organized working poor and peasants demanding land, food, dignity, freedom, and power.

“Yesterday was important because it proved this movement is not spontaneous. It is becoming strategic, conscious, and unafraid.”

Unmet demands and growing anger

In the days leading up to the anniversary, momentum had been building both online and offline. Young people, civil society groups, university students, and artists held vigils, digital campaigns, and forums across the country. Yet many of the core grievances that sparked the protests in 2024 remain unresolved:

• Runaway corruption
• A bloated government
• Growing public debt
• Youth unemployment
• The erosion of democratic space

As the country grapples with the fallout of this week’s events, people are calling for an independent investigation into the killings, injuries, and abductions. They are also demanding the immediate reinstatement of press freedoms and the prosecution of those responsible for unlawful police actions.

The anniversary protests have made it clear: Kenya’s youth are not willing to be silent, and the demand for social justice is far from over.

Original article by Nicholas Mwangi republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.