Police disperse families of Gen Z protesters marching to State House
By Faith Lagat, December 22, 2025Protesters heading to the State House on December 22, 2025, were forced to disperse after General Service Unit (GSU) officers used teargas at the Nyerere Road-Mamlaka Road intersection in Nairobi.
The rally, organised by families of youths who lost their lives during the 2024–2025 anti-government demonstrations, had been scheduled the day before. Participants aimed to meet President William Ruto to demand action on delayed justice and accountability for the fatalities.
The procession set off from Jeevanjee Gardens early in the morning, with anti-riot officers stationed along the route. As the group advanced toward Processional Way, GSU personnel blocked the junction, preventing further movement.
Efforts to continue were met with a heightened police presence and teargas, compelling demonstrators to scatter. Authorities reported several arrests, while security remained tight around the State House to block access.
Families demand justice
The families emphasised that, as of December 18, 2025, 547 days after Rex Masai’s death, no police officer has been held accountable for the fatalities.
They criticised the government for delaying justice and compensation, despite a presidential proclamation on August 8, 2025, which established a framework for reparations to victims of police violence since 2017.
The demonstration was intended to be peaceful, with families urging officers to uphold Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble, demonstrate, and petition public authorities peacefully and unarmed.
Rex Masai, the first recorded fatality of the 2024 protests, was shot on June 20, 2024, becoming a symbol of the youth-led movement against the Finance Bill and wider governance issues.
Political reflections and inquest proceedings
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka linked Masai’s death to a transformative youth revolution.
Speaking at AIC Kasina church in Mlolongo on September 7, 2025, Kalonzo drew parallels with canonised Italian teenager Carlo Acutis. “Today, the young millennials of our world were honoured with the canonisation of Carlo Acutis by the Catholic Church.
Carlo, who tragically died at the age of 15, having battled leukaemia, was known as God’s Influencer and devoted his life to sharing his love of Jesus through technology. Also fondly called the Patron Saint of the Internet, Carlo changed the history of faith for millennials,” he said.
Kalonzo added, “Our young millennials, like Carlo, changed the history of Kenya forever, and that revolution started here in Mlolongo with the shooting of Rex Masai because he dared to exercise his constitutional rights.”
Meanwhile, the inquest into Masai’s death has continued, with police officer Isaiah Murangiri Ndumba denying involvement. Murangiri stated, “I’m not the one in those photos. On June 18, 2024, I did not come to work, as I had sought permission to attend to my sick child,” and maintained he was stationed at KICC grounds on June 20, 2024, in civilian clothes.