NAIROBI, Kenya – Party leaders Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) and Eugene Wamalwa (DAP-K) are among opposition leaders who have gathered at the Holy Family Basilica ahead of today’s June 25, 2025, protests.
While addressing the press, Kalonzo recalled that the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition-led protests of 2023 led to the formation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) team.
“But in 2024, when the young people caught the world’s attention when they took to the streets in exercise of their constitutional rights, they were killed. By the way, in 2023, basically a similar number, about 60 to 70 of our supporters were killed, and we went burying them everywhere. We buried them in Siaya, Makueni, among other places,” said Kalonzo.
Kalonzo exuded confidence that today’s protests will catch the attention of the international community.
“Everyone is watching. I heard BBC, CNN and others, their lead items are about the remembrance of the very brilliant and bold young Kenyans who came to the streets to demonstrate against the issue of the high cost of living and partly the contents of the 2024-2025 Finance Bill,” he added.
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The Wiper leader lamented that the youthful protesters were only wielding the national flags, bottles of water and mobile phones.
“They did what became real actions, and so today we want to remember them. After these, brutality has been the order of the day under this Kenya Kwanza administration. Now, today, we just want to remember these young people,” explained Kalonzo.
His remarks came hours after he joined other political leaders to launch the People’s Restorative Justice Commission (PRJC).
“We made it very clear that our intention today was to come and lay wreaths in remembrance of these young people, and I think as their parents we are entitled and other Kenyans are entitled. We said it clearly that today is a public holiday, and indeed it is going to 9 am, and I have never seen the streets of Nairobi so clear. Easy traffic today, a lot of Kenyans have chosen to stay at home in sympathy with what happened on June 25, 2024,” Kalonzo added.
According to Kalonzo, the People’s Restorative Justice Commission is not an act of vanity.
“Look at the quality of its leadership. This Commission is real action. It is a precursor to the pursuit of justice for every Kenyan under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. If anyone doubted that June 25 would be a public holiday, Mr Ruto has indeed confirmed it. Tomorrow, let there be peaceful demonstrations across the country,” Kalonzo had earlier said ahead of the demos.
In a statement shared on his official X account, the Wiper leader went on:
“Mr Ruto, please instruct the 4,500 Green Army goons that are meeting at City Hall not to disrupt the peaceful marchers. Mr Ruto, also please instruct the 5,000 police to protect Kenyans and not the Haiti-style militia who are preparing to maim, kill and murder Kenyans tomorrow. Mr Ruto, Kenya is not an island. The world is watching.”
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Meanwhile, Wamalwa stated that hired goons wielding machetes, pangas and rungus, are not part of them.
“Violence has and will never be part of our culture. It is time that we want to make it clear that these rungu-wielding people came out when a majority of Kenyans were demonstrating against the killing of Albert Otieno Ojwang’. These organised gangs were the same that reigned with terror on shop owners in the Nairobi CBD streets. Even amazingly, the police were helping themselves. So, we need to call them out and see to it that this country changes forever politically. The governance of this country changed completely on June 25, 2024, and that is why we are here,” Wamalwa explained.
Kalonzo insisted that men and women around the world want justice.
“Justice for Albert Ojwang’ and the rest of the fallen young heroes of June 25, 2024. And today, as we speak, not a single penny has been paid by this administration to the victims’ relatives,” he added.
Kalonzo also lamented that when the ODM party joined the broad-based government, one of the items in the 10-point agenda was compensation.
“Even in Homa Bay County during the national Madaraka Day celebrations, Raila Odinga tried to remind them about this issue of compensation, but nobody cares about this. It is like talking to a stone. This is why nobody would want to join them. We must get our country back, and that is why we are here,” Kalonzo stated.
