It began with placards, chants and a plea for dignity.
By sunset, the pavements were stained red. Young Kenyans -some still in school, others fresh out of college -were gunned down in broad daylight.
A year has passed since the anti-Finance Bill protests shook Kenya on 25th June 2024. But for the families who buried their sons, brothers, and daughters, time has stood still.
They still have no answers.
“He just wanted to be heard”
David Chege’s mother still wears her son’s university hoodie. He was 24, a recent IT graduate. On that afternoon, he joined thousands of others outside Parliament to protest against the Finance Bill -a controversial law that would have increased the cost of living for millions.
“He had no weapon,” she told local reporters later. “He went with hope. And they shot him.”
David was one of at least 39 people killed during those protests, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. Twenty-two of them died in Nairobi alone. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) confirmed several died from gunshot wounds, including in areas around Parliament and Gikambura, Kiambu.
One victim, 12-year-old Kennedy Onyango, was reportedly shot near his home in Rongai. His school shoes were still by the door.
Confirmed Names (IPOA -Nairobi, 25 June 2024)
- David Chege
- Erickson Kyalo
- Eric Kayoni Shieni
- Kelvin Odhiambo Maina
- Ibrahim Kamau Wanjiru
- Earnest Kanyi
- Kenneth Njiru Mwangi
- Wilson Sitati
- Beasley Kogi
Additional Names Identified by Media & Human Rights Groups
- Rex Kanyike Masai
- Abdi Kadir
- Evans Kiratu
- Beasley Kamau (may be same as Beasley Kogi above)
- Ibrahim Kamau (overlaps with Kamau Wanjiru or distinct)
- Kennedy Onyango
- Lynett Okumu
- Austin Makhoka
- Michael Kihuga
- Caroline Shiramba
- Margaret Oyuga
Who They Were
- David Chege – 24‑year‑old IT graduate shot near Parliament.
- Eric Shieni – University student shot by a KDF officer.
- Evans Kiratu – Killed after being hit by a teargas canister.
- Kennedy Onyango – Only 12 years old, shot in Rongai.
- Rex Kanyike Masai – Among the first killed; his death became a rallying point.
- Others were students, boda‑boda riders, young professionals—each tragically caught up in violence while protesting.
No justice, no accountability
Twelve months on, not a single senior official has been held to account.
The government did respond – sort of. President William Ruto, under immense pressure, withdrew the Finance Bill just days later. But he never directly addressed the deaths. No public apology. No official recognition of the lives lost.
A few investigations were opened. The IPOA said it was reviewing several fatal cases, including those of Chege and university student Eric Shieni. But progress has been painfully slow, and no charges have been brought forward.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International and the Law Society of Kenya have criticized the state’s silence, calling it “a betrayal of justice.”
The pain is still fresh
Posters with the names of the victims have been shared widely online this week. Under banners like #Justice4OurMashujaa and #NeverForgetKE, Kenyans are calling for justice — and remembrance.
Rex Kanyike Masai was one of the first to be killed in the early June demonstrations. His mother, now known simply as Mama Rex, has become a quiet but firm voice for the families. “They want us to forget,” she told a gathering last month. “But I will not forget my son. And I will not let Kenya forget either.”
A new generation of dissent
The 2024 protests were unlike any Kenya had seen before. They were organised almost entirely online, led by young people without political affiliations. Many of them had never marched before. But rising taxes, high youth unemployment, and a growing mistrust of government brought them to the streets.
When Parliament was briefly stormed that June afternoon, it sent shockwaves through the political establishment. What followed, many now say, was a crackdown designed not just to control the streets — but to silence a generation.
Several organisers later reported abductions, intimidation, and surveillance. Some went into hiding. Others left the country.
Yet many stayed -and they are speaking up again.
