Hundreds of Gen Z youth, faith leaders, and political figures gathered at All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi for a moving memorial service honouring the lives of young Kenyans killed during last year’s youth-led protests.  

The event, organised by the Pastors’ Association of Kenya, served as a solemn remembrance of over 60 young people who died in 2023 and another 60 in 2024 in what speakers described as state-sanctioned brutality against peaceful demonstrators.

During the service, Canon Evans Omollo of the All Saints Cathedral Nairobi, reminded Kenyans that young lives are the seeds of the nation, stating that we have shed enough blood of its people.  

“We came here and we prayed together. We brought the families together to wipe their tears. We have been supporting them for over one year now. And we came back here because, again, we fear that this could happen again,” he said, warning that the youth are a nation’s future.

“We don’t want to be a country that burns the granary. Our youth are the granary. Let us not cut them down before they grow,” he added.  

He emphasised that as a nation, there is fear that the State has not learned from the violence that was there in 2023, where again another 60-young people are lost. In 2024, another 60-young people are killed.

Historial moment

“We want, especially as we go towards the commemoration and there are plans to have demonstrations by young people, we want to tell the government and the security forces that Kenya is a constitutional democracy,” he said.  

He referred to Article 47 in the Constitution, which allows people to protest peacefully and said that the church does not wish for any more blood to be shed and they are praying for the country to be peaceful.

The service brought together top leaders, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Chief Justice David Maraga, and former Cabinet Minister Eugene Wamalwa.

The leaders not only honoured the fallen but criticised the government for its continued silence and inaction.  

Speaking after the church service, Kalonzo said that he is standing together with the Gen Zs as they commemorate this very important historical occasion.   

“That day will remain in our national memory. The youth exercised their sovereign rights under Articles 1 and 37 of the Constitution to petition and demonstrate. Instead, they were killed and maimed. And yet, only one inquest has been opened, that of Rex Masai. The rest have been buried not just in the ground but in silence,” he said.   

Kalonzo urged the State to open inquiries into all the deaths and warned security forces that the world would be watching their conduct during upcoming commemorations and planned demonstrations.

Former Chief Justice David Maraga, visibly shaken, called on President William Ruto to act.

“The ultimate responsibility for security rests with the President. Mr President, please don’t allow Kenya to slide into chaos like Haiti. When you allow goons to attack peaceful demonstrators, you are sending us there,” Maraga said.  

During the service, relatives of those who fell during last year’s protests also stated their grievance,s pointing out that the government has failed them since they are not getting justice for the death of their children.  

Jesinta Anyango, mother of 14-year-old Kennedy Onyango from Rongai, shared her story of loss and despair, explaining that her son was among the youngest people to die during the protest.  

“Kennedy loved drawing. The day he died, he was working on a sketch of a mosque he hoped would help pay our rent. He was our only hope. Now, I have no one. No support, no justice. If not for God, I would not be here,” Jesinta said.  

According to Jesinta, mothers of the fallen are suffering due to these injustices. Kennedy was her only hope since his talent used to bring food to the table.  

Another mother, Caroline, spoke of her son, Erick, who died during the Parliament protest.

“His body was dragged and dumped at the Parliament gate. Even the blue shoes he wore that day. I bought them for him. He never came home,” she recalled.

Faith leaders, including PCEA’s Rev Linda Achola and Bishop Jonathan Kabiru of ACK Nairobi Diocese, emphasised the moral duty of the church to speak out and stand with grieving families.

“This tragedy is rooted in a bigger problem: the injustice, corruption, and impunity choking our country,” said Achola. “We must change, and the church must be the conscience of the nation.”

Protecting youth

Bishop Kabiru called upon the leadership to remember their divine calling.  

“You are a product of prayer. The same church that prayed you into power is now praying for you to lead with courage, wisdom, and humility. Kenya must become a country where every citizen can safely express themselves without fear of violence,” he said.

Leaders from different religions, including Islamic, gathered together with a powerful prayer for the healing of the nation, a call for accountability, and a reaffirmation of hope in justice.  

The memorial comes just days ahead of planned national protests as Gen Z activists vow to continue pushing for reform, accountability, and a Kenya that protects, not persecutes, its young people.