It was meant to be a day of peaceful protest. Instead, it ended in bloodshed outside Kenya’s Parliament, where unarmed demonstrators were shot dead.
Now, a BBC Africa Eye investigation has identified members of the country’s security forces who pulled the triggers.
Their findings, based on the painstaking analysis of over 5,000 images and videos, suggest that police and soldiers opened fire on crowds who posed no threat. The killings, on 25 June 2024, sent shockwaves across Kenya, a nation where the right to peaceful protest is protected by law.
“It was a beautiful party,” said human rights activist Boniface Mwangi, describing the early mood of the demonstration. “Kids came out with Bluetooth speakers and their water. It was a carnival.”
Young protesters, mainly from Kenya’s so-called “Gen Z” generation, had streamed into central Nairobi that morning. They were rallying against a controversial finance bill that would have raised the cost of living for millions.
By noon, their numbers had swelled to more than 100,000. Music blasted from portable speakers. Faces were painted in the colours of the Kenyan flag. Spirits were high, but so was tension.
Earlier protests had forced lawmakers to scrap tax hikes on basic items like bread and cooking oil. But other levies, including higher import taxes and charges on specialised hospitals, remained intact.
“For the first time, it was the Kenyan people – the working class, the middle class and the lower class – against the ruling class,” Mwangi said.
Inside Parliament, MPs pressed on with the vote. At 2:14pm, the Finance Bill passed: 195 votes for, 106 against. The crowd outside erupted in anger.
Student journalist Ademba Allans was there, livestreaming events on his phone. “This is when everybody said: ‘Whatever happens, we’re going in,'” he recalled.
Minutes later, protesters tore down barriers and stormed onto Parliament grounds. Police responded with brute force. Water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets turned into live ammunition.
Footage captured a plain-clothes officer shouting “uaa!” – Swahili for “kill” – before a uniformed officer knelt and fired into the crowd. Seven protesters fell.
Among the dead were David Chege, a 39-year-old software engineer and Sunday school teacher, and Ericsson Mutisya, a 25-year-old butcher.
Allans, waving a Kenyan flag, tried to reach the wounded. “People are bleeding out,” he said, his voice shaking.
The BBC reconstructed the events using camera metadata, public clocks, and livestream timestamps. A 3D model of Parliament allowed investigators to trace bullet trajectories back to security personnel.
One of the shooters, captured on video, was identified by his distinctive upturned neck guard and shield. His name remains unknown.
Another figure, urging officers to “kill,” was named as John Kaboi, a police officer based at Central Nairobi Police Station, according to multiple sources. Kaboi did not respond to BBC requests for comment.
Kenya’s police service said it was not responsible for investigating its own officers, pointing instead to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). Yet, nearly a year later, no report has been published. No arrests have been made.
The silence has fuelled anger and fear among Kenyans, many of whom see the killings as a stark warning.
“The right to protest is enshrined in our constitution,” Mwangi said. “When the state murders its citizens for speaking out, it murders democracy itself.”
As calls for justice grow louder, the faces of Chege and Mutisya remain a haunting reminder of a day when freedom of expression met deadly force on the streets of Nairobi.
