Police used teargas on Monday to disperse a group of protesters marching towards State House in Nairobi, bringing to a halt a demonstration by families of young people killed during the 2024 to 2025 anti-government protests.
The march, organised by parents and relatives of the victims, began peacefully at Jeevanjee Gardens early in the morning. The families said they were seeking an audience with President William Ruto to raise concerns over what they described as prolonged delays in justice, accountability and compensation for deaths linked to police action during the protests.
Anti riot police were deployed from the outset as the procession moved through the city centre.
When demonstrators approached the junction of Nyerere Road and Mamlaka Road, General Service Unit officers mounted a roadblock, preventing further movement towards State House. Efforts by the families to proceed were met with additional police reinforcements and teargas, forcing the crowd to scatter.
The families said the demonstration had been intended as a peaceful appeal rather than a protest. In a formal notice issued ahead of the march, organisers cited Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble, demonstrate and petition public authorities peacefully and unarmed.
They said participants would carry only flowers and the national flag, and had requested a police escort to ensure safety and public order.
Relatives of the victims expressed frustration at what they described as a lack of progress in holding officers accountable. They noted that as of 18 December 2025, 547 days after the death of Rex Masai, no police officer had been charged in connection with the killings linked to the protests.
The families also criticised delays in compensation, despite a presidential proclamation issued on 8 August 2025 that established a framework for reparations to victims of police violence dating back to 2017.
“This is not a protest but a plea for justice,” the notice read. “We trusted that grieving parents and siblings would be allowed to seek an audience with the President without harassment or force.”
