Families of victims killed during Kenya’s 2024 anti-government protests gathered outside parliament to lay flowers on a barbed wire barricade as the country marked two years since the deadly demonstrations.
Authorities sealed off parliament with barbed wire, preventing relatives from placing wreaths and flowers at the site. Police also blocked major roads across Nairobi and arrested 355 protesters nationwide, although turnout in the capital was much lower than during the mass demonstrations in 2024 and last year’s anniversary protests.
Among those mourning was Jacinta Anyango, whose 12-year-old son, Kennedy, was killed during clashes on the outskirts of Nairobi in 2024.
Speaking to the BBC outside parliament, she called for accountability from the government, saying she wanted the officers responsible for her son’s death to face the families and apologise.
She also questioned the government’s actions ahead of next year’s elections, asking who President William Ruto expected to vote for him if the killings continued.
The anniversary demonstrations were organised by activists demanding justice for the more than 80 people who lost their lives and dozens more who were injured during the youth-led protests.
The original demonstrations erupted in 2024 after widespread public anger over controversial tax proposals, triggering one of Kenya’s biggest waves of anti-government protests in recent years.
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