NAIROBI, Kenya – Families of young Kenyans killed during the June 25, 2024, anti-tax protests are seeking police clearance to hold a peaceful memorial procession in Nairobi to mark one year since the deadly demonstrations.
On Tuesday, June 10, the families, led by Gillian Munyao—the mother of slain protester Rex Masai—visited Central Police Station to issue a formal notice about the planned procession.
Accompanied by human rights activists, they said they intended to hold a peaceful remembrance march on June 25, 2025, to honour the lives lost during last year’s protests against the Finance Bill 2024.
According to the families, the planned event will involve a procession to the Office of the President and Parliament, where they will lay flowers, light candles, and deliver a memorandum calling for justice and accountability.
However, activist Boniface Mwangi reported that police declined to accept the notification letter.
“They’re there to notify police of the June 25 remembrance protest. Police are refusing to accept the letter. Media and solidarity needed,” Mwangi posted on X.
Gillian Munyao, mother of Rex Masai and other parents whose children were murdered in June 2024 peaceful protests are at Central Police Station. They’re there to notify police of June 25,2025 remembrance protest. Police are refusing to accept the letter. Media & solidarity needed
The families say their goal is not to reignite unrest but to peacefully demand accountability and ensure the tragic loss of lives is not forgotten.
The memorandum will outline grievances over police conduct during the protests and propose measures to prevent similar tragedies.
The protests on June 25, 2024, marked a turning point in Kenya’s political landscape.
Thousands of largely Gen Z demonstrators stormed Parliament after lawmakers passed the Finance Bill, which included a series of unpopular tax proposals.
The protest turned violent when police opened fire on unarmed protesters.
Nineteen people were killed in Nairobi alone, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, while Amnesty International reported more than 200 injuries.
President William Ruto vetoed the bill the following day, but the events left a lasting scar on the nation’s psyche.
Civil society groups and opposition leaders have since called for June 25 to be recognized as a national day of remembrance.
Some leaders have proposed declaring it a public holiday in honour of the fallen.
The government, however, has rejected the suggestion.
“We have heard people say June 25 will be a public holiday. There is no public holiday on June 25. It is a working day if it falls on a weekday,” government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said last week.
Despite the setback at the police station, the families say they are determined to proceed with the peaceful event.
They are calling on Kenyans to stand with them in solidarity, insisting that the pursuit of justice for the victims remains a national moral imperative.
