Kenya Police Arrest 355 During Nairobi Anniversary Of June 2024 Youth Protests

Kenya marked the second anniversary of the June 2024 youth-led protests with police dispersing demonstrators in Nairobi and detaining others, as families laid flowers outside Parliament after heavily armed police blocked access to the compound.

“Hundreds arrested as Kenyans mark the anniversary of deadly protests in 2024 Police in Kenya have detained hundreds of people and fired tear gas as families of those killed in anti-government protests two years ago marched to Parliament demanding compensation and justice NAIROBI, Kenya -- Police in Kenya said they detained hundreds of people and fired tear gas on Thursday as families of those killed in anti-government protests two years ago marched to the Parliament building to demand compensation and justice”

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Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Thursday that a total of 355 people were arrested in various parts of the country, and he called those detained “criminals” while apologising for barricades and other security measures.

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The BBC reported that police arrested 355 protesters nationwide and blocked key roads in Nairobi, while the Parliament building was barricaded with barbed wire, preventing families of the deceased from laying wreaths and flowers by the building.

In Nairobi, shops and restaurants in the central business district remained closed as police set up roadblocks with water-cannon trucks, and the BBC said central Nairobi was deserted after security forces blocked access.

The unrest being commemorated followed the June 2024 storming of parliament and clashes that left at least 60 people dead, with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights saying organisers had planned the anniversary marking.

Families used the anniversary to press for accountability, with Jacinta Anyango telling the BBC outside parliament, "All I want is for the government to bring the officers responsible for killing our children before us and let them apologise."

Edith Wanjiku, whose 19-year-old son Ibrahim Kamau was killed in 2024, said to Al Jazeera that as parents they sought permission "just to come here … to mourn and lay flowers for our children" but were blocked when they arrived.

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The BBC reported that opposition leaders led by Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa joined the families and a small number of activists on their march to parliament.

Al Jazeera said organisers wanted a credible investigation into past police conduct and guarantees against the use of excessive force, while Ruto acknowledged what he called “instances of excessive and extrajudicial actions by members of the security services.”

The BBC also quoted Caroline Mutisya, who said she came to remember her son Erickson, but that the heavy police presence made it difficult for her to speak freely.

The anniversary unfolded alongside ongoing disputes over compensation and transparency, with the BBC saying President William Ruto announced a fund of nearly $15m (£11m) to compensate nearly 2,000 victims of protest-related human rights abuses between 2017 and 2025 identified by rights groups.

“Once the acrid smell of burnt tires and tear gas finally began to fade, Kenya woke to a grim tableau: charred buildings in downtown Nairobi, looted shops strewn with broken glass, and families mourning at least nineteen young lives lost to police bullets”

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The BBC reported that Ruto said the compensation was not a "price for life, pain or loss" and should not be seen as rewarding violence or criminality, while human rights organisations rejected the plan over exclusion of some victims, inadequate pay-outs and a lack of transparency.

Al Jazeera said Murkomen apologised for the barricades and other security measures aimed at containing the protests, and it described the government’s desire to avoid a repeat of the events two years ago.

Al Jazeera also reported that Ruto set aside two billion Kenyan shillings ($15.5 million) for victims of protest-related abuses, while some activists said it was not enough.

With police roadblocks and barbed wire limiting access to Parliament, the commemorations continued to center on demands for justice and compensation as Kenya’s political leaders and families sought to mark the June 25, 2024 crackdown.