Families of young people killed during Kenya’s prolonged anti-government protests have notified police of plans for a peaceful procession to State House on Monday, seeking a direct audience with President William Ruto.
The march, described as a plea rather than a protest, is scheduled to begin at 9am from Jeevanjee Gardens in Nairobi. Participants intend to carry only flowers and the national flag, invoking constitutional rights to assemble and petition authorities.
In their notice, the families highlighted delays in justice and compensation, despite a presidential framework announced in August for reparations to victims of police violence since 2017. They noted that 547 days after the death of Rex Masai – the first reported fatality in the 2024 protests, shot during demonstrations against tax rises – no officer has faced accountability.
Kelvin Simba, brother of victim Mike Brian Kasaine, cited findings from the Independent Medico-Legal Unit showing that three in five extrajudicial killings during the period involved shots from behind, suggesting victims were fleeing and unarmed.
The families expressed frustration that Ruto has engaged with various delegations while ignoring those grieving lost children, especially ahead of Christmas. “We march in solidarity with survivors left paralysed or disabled,” the notice stated, requesting police escort for safety.
Kenya’s protests, initially sparked by the 2024 Finance Bill and reignited in 2025 over police brutality and economic grievances, have resulted in over 100 deaths according to rights groups, with persistent calls for accountability amid allegations of excessive force.
The planned action underscores ongoing demands for justice in a country where human rights organisations have documented widespread extrajudicial executions and torture linked to protest suppression.
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