Police pledge to protect peaceful protesters during June 25 'Gen Z memorial march'
Opposition leaders have insisted that June 25 be recognised as a symbolic public holiday to honour protesters who were killed.
Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Seda has assured the public that officers are fully prepared to manage the upcoming June 25, 2025 demonstrations, with security measures already in place to protect both protesters and the wider public.
The protests, dubbed the “Gen Z Memorial March,” will mark one year since the June 25, 2024 demonstrations against the Finance Bill—a day that turned tragic after a violent police crackdown left several people dead and many others injured as they protested punitive tax measures.
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Opposition figures have insisted that June 25 be recognised as a symbolic public holiday to honour protesters who were killed, amid claims of “persistent targeting, kidnappings, abductions, intimidation, unlawful arrests and murder of young people.”
'Enhanced plan'
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Seda said police are implementing an “enhanced plan” to maintain order during the march.
“For June 25th, we have what we call enhanced plans for that. I want to urge our public, let’s restrict ourselves to peaceful demonstrations. Let’s not allow people who are not part of the protest to interfere. Remember, it will be a working day—there will be shops, hotels, and other businesses operating,” he said.
He affirmed that the police are ready to protect all participants in the upcoming demonstrations, provided legal guidelines are observed.
“Even this year, we’ve had peaceful protests, by nurses and others, which we facilitated without incident. But when they turn violent, it undermines the entire purpose. We are not at war with the public. We are here to provide safety for everyone, protesters, businesspeople, media, and all,” he said.
The regional police commander also revealed that during the Tuesday anti-police brutality protests, four incidents of malicious damage, seven cases of phone theft, and two shop break-ins were reported at the Central Police Station.
Looting
He noted that two businesswomen in the Imenti area on Moi Avenue claimed to have lost merchandise worth Sh2 million and Sh200,000 respectively.
“As you can see, it was not a peaceful demonstration. We cannot tolerate thuggery in the name of protests. We are here to provide security to all, but the law must be followed,” he said.
He, however, distanced law enforcement from any criminal elements involved despite witnesses revealing that goons were working with police officers during the protests.
“For the question of goons and guns, we had no connection. We have formed a team to investigate what led to their involvement, who hired them, and who brought them there. Some of them were even attacking us with stones. We suspect some may now be using fibreglass rods. Once we arrest a few, we will interrogate them and establish who sent them,” he said.
On the issue of an officer seen holding laptops during protests, Seda confirmed the laptops were recovered property, not stolen by police.
“The laptops were not robbed by any officer. They were recovered after a suspect was arrested and have since been booked at Central Police Station for safe custody,” he said.
The police have since urged anyone whose shop was looted to report to the station to identify the recovered items.
He further reiterated that the officer filmed shooting a protester at close range had been arrested.
Seda said the two officers, namely, Police Constable Klinzy Barasa Masinde and Police Constable Duncan Kiprono, are from Kayole and Kilimani stations, respectively.
“That officer is now in custody at the Capitol Police Station and is being processed to face the law. The law applies to everyone equally,” he said.
He reiterated that officers are not permitted to use live ammunition during protest management.
“We discourage deploying with live bullets unless it’s an active security operation. In riot situations, we rely on tear gas and riot gear,” he added.
The June 25 memorial protest is expected to draw large crowds, with activists calling for justice for victims of police brutality and urging authorities to stop targeting young people.
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