Grieving families and injured protesters push for justice after Gen Z demos
Victims of the June 25, 2025, protests are recovering from injuries while families of those killed push for justice, following a day of demonstrations that turned violent across the country.
Civil society groups report that at least 19 people died and 531 others were injured during the protests.
In Ongata Rongai, Jeremy Maina was shot in the thigh while going to a nearby shop to buy diapers for his infant child.
“Before reaching Nyotu, there’s a shop near a cyber café where I was heading. I didn’t get there. I heard a sound, turned, and realised I had been shot. Someone tied my leg with a belt, and a girl helped with a sweater,” Maina narrated.
His neighbour, 17-year-old Ian Opango, was fatally shot in the head. According to his aunt, Fatuma Opango, the bullet entered from one side of his head and exited from the other.
“They left him there. His fellow protesters carried him as they marched, but when they reached Nyotu, police dispersed them and took Ian to the station,” she said.
Ian’s father, Jackson Juma Opango, is trying to raise funds to transport his son’s body to Shianda in Kakamega County.
“The post-mortem may be done on Wednesday. After that, it’s hard to move the body home. Mortuary bills are also a challenge, ” Opango lamented.
In Murang’a, another family is mourning after 33-year-old Ian Muhindi was shot while watching the protests from his apartment building.
“They told me my son had been shot. “I asked if he was in the protests. They said he was in his plot. Doctors confirmed the bullet was in his head,” she told reporters.
On June 25, 2025, protests broke out across Kenya as thousands of people, mostly young, took to the streets to demand justice, better leadership, and an end to police brutality. The demonstrations marked one year since the 2024 anti-tax protests and were meant to honour victims of police violence and call for accountability.
In cities like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and several smaller towns, protesters marched peacefully at first, but clashes later erupted between them and the police. Security officers responded with tear gas, water cannons, and live bullets. At least 16 people were confirmed dead, hundreds were injured, many with gunshot wounds, and dozens were arrested.
