The demonstrations, held to mark the anniversary of last year’s deadly protests against a controversial tax bill, saw thousands take to the streets across the country read more

Smoke rises as protestors participate in a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the 2024 anti-government protests that drew widespread condemnation over the use of force by security agencies, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday. Reuters

At least eight people were killed and 400 injured during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, according to the national human rights watchdog.

The demonstrations, held to mark the anniversary of last year’s deadly protests against a controversial tax bill, saw thousands take to the streets across the country.

In Nairobi, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds, local media and a Reuters witness reported.

Clashes broke out between protesters and police, and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said all eight reported fatalities were “allegedly from gunshot wounds.”

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“Over 400 casualties have been reported, including demonstrators, police officers and journalists,” KNCHR said in a statement shared on its official X account.

The watchdog did not specify who was responsible for the shootings but pointed to a heavy police presence and “allegations of excessive use of force, including rubber bullets, live ammunition, and water cannons,” which it said had caused numerous injuries.

Kenyan police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the statement from the KNCHR, Reuters reported.

An official at Kenyatta National Hospital, the capital’s main medical facility, confirmed that dozens of injured individuals had been admitted.

“107 admitted, most with gunshot injuries,” Reuters quoted the source as saying, referring to rubber bullets and live rounds. He added that no deaths had been reported at KNH.

National electricity provider Kenya Power said one of its security guards was shot dead during the protests while patrolling its headquarters in Nairobi.

Large crowds were seen earlier heading in the direction of State House, the president’s official residence, in scenes broadcast by Kenyan channel NTV before it and another broadcaster KTN were pulled off the air after defying an order to stop live broadcasts of the demonstrations.

Both channels resumed broadcasts later on Wednesday after a court in Nairobi suspended the order issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Anger against police

Protesters torched court facilities in Kikuyu town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Citizen TV reported. Flames and thick smoke billowed from the court building in a video posted on the broadcaster’s X account.

Isolated clashes were reported in the port city of Mombasa, according to NTV, with protests also in the towns of Kitengela, Kisii, Matuu and Nyeri.

Although last year’s protests faded after President William Ruto withdrew proposed tax hikes, public anger has remained over the use of excessive force by security agencies, with fresh demonstrations this month over the death of a blogger in police custody.

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Six people, including three police officers, were charged with murder on Tuesday over the killing of 31-year-old blogger and teacher, Albert Ojwang. All have pleaded not guilty.

Ojwang’s death has become a lightning rod for Kenyans still mourning those who perished at last year’s demonstrations, blamed on security forces, against a backdrop of dozens of unexplained disappearances.

“We are fighting for the rights of our fellow youths and Kenyans and the people who died since June 25… we want justice,” Lumumba Harmony, a protester, told Reuters in Nairobi.

The unprecedented scenes on June 25, 2024, showing police firing at protesters as they broke through barriers to enter parliament, created the biggest crisis of Ruto’s presidency and sparked alarm among Kenya’s international allies.

With inputs from agencies

At least eight killed and hundreds hurt as Kenya protesters battle police

Police fired tear gas and water canons to break up protests

The government banned live TV and radio coverage of the protests, but its decree was overturned by the High Court in the capital, Nairobi.

Many of those demonstrating chanted “Ruto must go” and waved branches as a symbol of peaceful opposition to his rule.

Police clashed with protesters in the capital Nairobi and other cities exactly a year on from the wave of deadly anti-government demonstrations that hit the nation in 2024.

At least eight people have been killed and 400 injured as thousands took to the streets in a day of protests across Kenya against President William Ruto’s government.

Ruto urged protesters not to threaten peace and stability, as crowds tried to reach his official residence but were pushed back by police.

“Protests should not be to destroy peace in Kenya. We do not have another country to go to when things go wrong. It is our responsibility to keep our country safe,” he said.

The president was speaking at a burial ceremony in the coastal county of Kilifi.

His absence from State House, his official residence, was notable as young protesters threatened to storm it.

Police used barricades and razor wire to seal off major roads – especially those leading to State House and parliament.

The authorities have not yet given any casualty figures from Wednesday’s protests, but the Kenya Medical Association, Law Society of Kenya and the Police Reforms Working Group said in a joint statement that at least eight protesters were killed.

Of the 400 injured, 83 required “specialised treatment” and eight had suffered gunshot wounds. The injured included three police officers, the statement added.

A human rights group – Amnesty Kenya – put the death toll as high as 16.

One demonstrator, Amina Mude, told the BBC she joined the protests “to fight for the future of my kids”.

“I feel like as a country we’re not going in the right direction, especially in education and everything happening.

“I feel like it’s high time that the country and the leadership listens to us.”

In Nairobi, video footage showed plumes of white tear gas drifting between buildings, sending protesters scrambling for cover, coughing, and shielding their eyes.

In the heart of the city, protesters marched pass shuttered shops and empty streets.

The fence around parliament was lined with wreaths and handwritten notes from grieving families and defiant youths – a reminder of last year’s unrest at the site.

A young woman draped in a Kenyan flag clutched a poster bearing the names of those killed a year ago by the security forces as they tried to end the protests.

Hundreds of Gen Z protesters march along Thika Superhighway to Nairobi CBD, on June 25, 2025. [Gitau Wanyoike, Standard]

Hundreds of Gen Z protesters on Wednesday brought operations along the Thika Superhighway to a standstill as they marched from Thika Town toward Nairobi in honour of victims killed during last year’s anti–Finance Bill demonstrations.

The protests, which began early in Thika Town, quickly escalated into running battles with police. Demonstrators blocked both sides of the busy highway, paralysing traffic and prompting heavy police deployment.

The initial group, largely made up of young people from Thika and surrounding estates, chanted slogans and demanded justice for victims of police brutality, calling them “martyrs of a failed state.” Tensions rose when marchers from Witeithie joined in, insisting they would walk to Nairobi in solidarity with nationwide protests.

“We are jobless graduates, that’s what the President needs to hear,” said protester Jane Muthoni. “Albert was killed inside a police station, the only place we thought was safe,” added Macdonald Mugo.

In Juja, police lobbed tear gas to repel protesters attempting to storm the local station. Business across Thika, Juja, and Ruiru ground to a halt, with most supermarkets and banks closed under police watch. By 4:30pm, demonstrators chanting “One term!” and “Ruto must go!” had reached Ruiru.

In Kikuyu, protests turned destructive as protesters torched the Sub-County offices and parts of the Kikuyu Law Courts. Police were overwhelmed, and property worth unknown value was destroyed. The unrest intensified when demonstrators from Limuru and Zambezi joined the chaos, hurling stones at officers.

Along the Southern Bypass and Nairobi–Nakuru Highway, protesters lit bonfires and forced motorists to flee. A truck ferrying red soil was commandeered to block the road. Businesses across Kiambu County shut down amid fears of looting as matatus diverted to off-road routes to avoid the unrest.

NAIROBI, Kenya June 25 – At least twelve people were killed and more than 400 others wounded on Wednesday as Gen Z-led protests marking the first anniversary of the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations spiralled into nationwide violence.

Fatalities were reported in Nairobi’s Ngara, Embakasi, Molo, Matuu, Emali, Ol Kalou, Ongata Rongai, Juja and Kikuyu, where police reportedly opened fire on protesters. In Nairobi, two people were shot dead—one in Ngara and another in Embakasi—during evening confrontations as protesters blocked roads and clashed with police.

“We are still compiling the data from various parts of the country but as at 8pm, there are 11 fatalities,” a senior police officer told Capital FM. He said the eleven excludes the security guard shot outside Kenya Power offices.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said the casualties included demonstrators, police officers and journalists.

“Most of them were treated and discharged, eighty-three (83) of them

were referred for specialised treatment, eight (8) with gunshot wounds,” KNCHR said in a statement.

Ol Kalou Divisional headquarters was torched during genZ protests on June 25, 2025.

In Ongata Rongai, Juja and Kikuyu, similar incidents of police shootings were reported. In another confirmed case, the Kenya Power Company announced that a security guard shot outside its Stima Plaza headquarters at 4:30 p.m. succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in hospital.

One of the most disturbing incidents occurred in Molo, where a Form Three student from Njenga Karume Secondary School was shot dead during confrontations with police. Four other people sustained injuries, two of them critically.

At Kenyatta National Hospital, medical staff reported receiving several casualties with gunshot wounds by Wednesday evening. Health officials warned that the death toll could rise as clashes continued deep into the night.

Protests in Kisii on June 25, 2025 in commemoration of the demos last year when over 60 people were shot dead by police during anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.

The demonstrations were organised to commemorate the June 25, 2024 protests, where over 60 people—mostly in Nairobi—were killed by police during anti-Finance Bill demonstrations. This year’s protests saw demonstrators once again demanding justice, police accountability, and deeper reforms in governance.

KNCHR said it had received information on the infiltration of the

demonstrations by criminal elements and destruction of property.

“We have received credible reports of hired goons infiltrating protests in Eldoret, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kajiado and Kisumu,” it said, “These groups have engaged in violence, looting and property destruction.”

Protesters lit bonfires, blocked roads, and engaged in running battles with police in Nairobi, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kisii, Eldoret, Mombasa, and other towns. In Nairobi, attempts to march to Parliament and State House—both surrounded with razor wire and ringed by heavy police presence—were forcefully repelled. Crowds chanting “Ruto Must Go” and “We Want Justice” filled the streets.

Amid the unfolding unrest, the Kenyan government ordered a shutdown of major television stations for defying a directive by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to halt live coverage of the protests. NTV, Citizen TV, and K24 reported that their free-to-air signals were abruptly cut off after CA officials allegedly stormed their broadcast transmission sites in Limuru.

The shutdown triggered outrage from media watchdogs and legal experts. Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga called the directive unconstitutional and an assault on press freedom. The Kenya Editors’ Guild condemned the move, accusing the CA of misapplying the law and undermining public access to information, in violation of Articles 33 and 34 of the Constitution.

Later in the day, the High Court issued an order suspending the directive by CA, following a petition challenging the legality of the move.

Despite the casualties, media blackout, and intensified police presence, protesters vowed to continue their push for accountability. Many cited frustrations over economic hardship, unfulfilled promises, and the growing suppression of civic space under President William Ruto’s administration.

While President Ruto urged protesters to remain peaceful and avoid destruction of property, human rights groups criticised the continued use of lethal force by police, calling it a breach of both Kenyan law and international human rights standards.

By nightfall, tensions remained high in Nairobi and across several towns, with crowds still in the streets, demanding justice for the dead and sweeping changes to Kenya’s political and economic systems.

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Marches in Kenya to mark a year since massive anti-government demos turned violent on Wednesday, with eight killed and at least 400 injured as protesters held running battles with police, who flooded Nairobi’s streets with tear gas and sealed off government buildings with barbed wire.

Initially peaceful commemorations descended into chaos as scattered groups ripped up flagstones to throw projectiles at security forces and chanted for the resignation of President William Ruto.

The marches had been called for the anniversary of massive protests last year against tax rises that left at least 60 people dead and peaked when a huge crowd stormed parliament on June 25.

“We are marching against police brutality, against oppression by the government, against high taxation, everything that is going wrong in this country,” said Anthony, 25, who was also selling flags and did not want to give his full name.

A coalition of rights groups said eight people died as protests were held in 23 counties.

“At least 400 others were treated, with 83 of them referred to specialized treatment for serious injuries,” the coalition, which includes Amnesty International and the Kenyan Medical Association, said in a statement.

A hospital source in Matuu, a town around 100 kilometres (65 miles) from Nairobi, earlier told AFP that two people had died from gunshot wounds there, with local media reporting that police had opened fire.

The government ordered TV and radio stations to halt live coverage of the protests, which gained momentum beyond the capital, including in the port city Mombasa.

NetBlocks, a global internet tracker, said social media platform Telegram had been restricted.

“We are here as the young generation. We want a complete overhaul of the system, the system is rotten, the system is rogue,” said protester Florence Achala in Nairobi.

– ‘Goons’ –

Anger has flared over police brutality, particularly after a teacher was killed in custody earlier this month.

A group of peaceful protesters was attacked last week by a gang of motorbike-riding “goons”, as they are known in Kenya, armed with whips and clubs and working in tandem with the police.

Western embassies in Kenya, including those of Britain, Germany and the United States, criticised in a joint statement “the use of hired ‘goons’ to infiltrate or disrupt peaceful gatherings”.

The “goons” were not clearly present on Wednesday but police used large amounts of tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to push back groups of protesters.

Analyst and lawyer Javas Bigambo told AFP he was worried political groups would exploit the volatile mood to foster violence.

“There is nothing good to celebrate about the events that happened last year,” he said. “If we were serious about commemorating June 25th, it should be in solemnity, prayer and restraint.”

– Disillusioned –

There is deep resentment against Ruto, who came to power in 2022 promising rapid economic progress.

Many are disillusioned by continued stagnation, corruption and high taxes, even after last year’s protests forced Ruto to cancel the unpopular finance bill.

His government has been at pains to avoid direct tax rises this year.

But the frequent disappearances of government critics — rights groups have counted more than 80 since last year’s protests, with dozens still missing — have led many to accuse Ruto of returning Kenya to the dark days of its dictatorship in the 1980s and 1990s.

Ruto has previously promised an end to abductions but was unapologetic in a speech on Tuesday, vowing to “stand by” the police.

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Originally published as Kenya anniversary protests turn violent, 8 dead