The government is allegedly issuing threats to families of victims intending to take part in remembrance of those killed during the 2024 anti-government protests, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa has claimed.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, Wamalwa alleged senior state officials were intimidating bereaved families, calling on authorities to allow Kenyans to honour those who died without interference.
The opposition leader said families that lost loved ones during the demonstrations were still struggling with grief and should not be subjected to pressure as the country prepares to mark two years since the protests.
“We are getting a lot of threats from the President, the DP, Murkomen and PS Omollo. We are saying, what is all this? These families are still hurting. You come and throw at them three million shillings and start threatening them, reading the Rioting Act,” Wamalwa said.
He urged the government to stop what he described as intimidation and allow families and other Kenyans to commemorate those who died during the protests.
“Let these families come out in whichever way they want to honour these heroes. We demanded that these threats must stop. Let Kenyans be allowed to come out and commemorate; they are free to do so without unnecessary intimidation from the state,” Wamalwa said.
Wamalwa spoke after meeting families of some of the victims under the opposition’s United Alternative Government banner ahead of planned memorial events across the country on June 25, 2026.
He said opposition leaders spent Father’s Day with families that lost relatives during the anti-tax protests, including the family of Rex Masai, whose death became one of the most recognised symbols of the demonstrations.
“As the United Alternative Government, we chose to spend Father’s Day with the fathers of the young people we lost during the anti-tax protests. We were with the father and family of Rex Masai and other families,” he said.
“They deserve compensation, prayers, encouragement, and consolation, but they deserve more than that; they deserve justice.”
The planned commemorations come as families, civil society groups and opposition leaders continue to demand accountability for deaths and injuries linked to the June 2024 protests, which were largely driven by Gen Z activists.
The demonstrations reached their peak on June 25, 2024, when protesters stormed Parliament, leading to deadly confrontations with security agencies. Several people were killed and many others were injured during the protests.
Wamalwa called on the police to provide security during the memorial activities and ensure that those attending are able to gather peacefully.
“The police should provide security; they should not go to the extent they did last year,” he said.
He also accused security agencies of failing to deal with criminal gangs that he claimed had infiltrated demonstrations in the past.
“There is a culture of goonism; the state tried to allow goons to infiltrate peaceful demonstrators. We’ve had a terrible culture creeping into our country where the police work hand in hand with goons. What you have is a government, goons and government merged as one against the people,” he added.
The government has consistently denied claims that it sponsors or facilitates criminal groups during demonstrations, maintaining that security agencies operate within the law to protect lives and property.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has also urged Kenyans planning to participate in demonstrations to do so peacefully and within the law.
“If you choose to exercise your rights under Article 37 this week, do so peacefully, while respecting the right of children to go to school, the right of people to own and protect their property, and the rights and livelihoods of other citizens,” he said.
President William Ruto has also appealed to young people to exercise responsibility. Speaking during the 95th St John Ambulance annual parade and inspection ceremony at State House, Nairobi, the President said freedom must be accompanied by responsibility.
“Yours is a free country. You have the freedom to dream, the freedom to speak, and the freedom to become all that you can be. But freedom and responsibility are inseparable; you cannot claim one and reject the other. Freedom without responsibility is not freedom. It is recklessness,” Ruto said.
The Head of State urged young people to consider the consequences of their actions.
“Every choice carries a consequence. Some consequences are temporary, others are permanent. They can alter the course of your life, damage your reputation, stain your record, and leave a burden on your conscience that you will carry for years to come,” he said.
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