Makueni County Senator Dan Maanzo and his counterpart from Murang’a County, Senator Joe Nyutu, have unanimously argued that the June 25 deaths happened because President William Ruto did not listen to Kenyans in good time.

Speaking to a local TV station on Thursday, June 25, 2026, Senator Joe Nyutu led the charge in explaining what he believes happened in 2024, saying the government ought to have acted earlier to avoid the loss of lives.

Nyutu’s take

Nyutu questioned the use of force by police during the 2024 and 2025 Gen Z protests, saying many demonstrators were unarmed.

“Why do the police shoot people, open fire on people? Like in 2024 and 2025, only armed with a flag or soda? Why would they do that?” Nyutu posed.

The Murang’a senator said President William Ruto eventually listened to the concerns raised by Kenyans by declining to assent to the Finance Bill 2024, but argued the decision came after lives had already been lost.

“In 2024, when Ruto heard the voice of the people and refused to assent to the Finance Bill 2024, it is important we say that listening is not enough. We must listen at the right time.

“We cannot tend to listen when lives have been lost already. The president ought to have listened earlier. This would have saved the lives we lost in 2024,” he said.

Nyutu further alleged that several young people were later picked up from their homes and killed.

“We know there are so many youths who were picked from their homes and killed,” he added.

According to Nyutu, governments should respond promptly to citizens’ concerns instead of waiting until protests escalate into deadly confrontations.

Maanzo weighs in

Maanzo agreed with Nyutu, saying the events of June 25 would remain part of Kenya’s history because of the lives lost during the demonstrations.

“And June 25 is going to be an annual event for so many years to come. You cannot kill 65 people in a day for no apparent reason,” Maanzo said.

He maintained that the demonstrations were peaceful and accused the government of overreacting to public opposition against the Finance Bill 2024.

“Those days, demos were so peaceful, and the government was just scared of its own reason, like deleting some sections in the Finance Bill. There was a lot of fraud and blackmail by the government in that Finance Bill 2024,” he said.

The Makueni senator also referred to the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang, saying accountability should not be replaced with compensation.

“You cannot arrest Albert Ojwang and come and kill him at Central Police Station in Nairobi and come out to tell us that life should go on as normal, then the father of Ojwang should accept money and move on,” Maanzo stated.

Solution

The two senators said Kenya should draw lessons from the Gen Z protests to prevent similar tragedies in future.

Nyutu maintained that leaders must listen to citizens before situations deteriorate, insisting that early engagement could have prevented the deaths witnessed during the 2024 protests.

Maanzo, on the other hand, said accountability for protest-related deaths and other controversial incidents must remain a priority, arguing that justice is necessary if the country is to move forward.

Their remarks came as Kenyans marked the June 25 Gen Z anniversary with renewed calls for justice and accountability over deaths and injuries linked to the anti-government demonstrations.

Authorities have consistently maintained that security agencies operate within the law, while investigations into deaths and alleged misconduct during previous protests have continued.