By Kamau Ngugi,
Executive Director, Defenders Coalition
JUNE 2025 marks the first anniversary of the nationwide Gen Z protests in Kenya, which were sparked by the unpopular Finance Bill, 2024. Parliament endorsed numerous highly taxed items in a desperate move to excavate the feeling of a population, most of whom are poor, burdened by the high cost of living and poor state of the economy. The response was police brutality against the unarmed, however carrying a red-stained protesting youngsters remains mind-boggling.
While Kenyans and the international and global community were united in condemning police killings, 610 injuries, 1,276 arbitrary arrests and 74 enforced disappearances documented by KHRC and other institutions, the June-November 2024 period, while marked by massive protests and youth leadership, was equally riddled with extrajudicial killings and state violence.
The events leading to the brutal murder of Albert Ojwang’ and those after are not just annoying, they prick the human conscience. Most Kenyans are confronted with the horror of accounting for the murders and disappearances, yet we appear not to act with the same resolve to join the law enforcement in accountability.
This paints a picture of a state failure in holding police violators to account. This is especially so in the case of Ojwang’ who was killed by a uniformed officer in full glare of the media and public. He was killed in broad daylight along Moi Avenue and the officer was captured on video walking away.
Police have still not accounted for the killings and disappearances in 2024. A national inquiry must be conducted into the killings of 31-year-old Pwani University-trained teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’, who was arrested over a post on X that was allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat. Failure to hold police accountable, impunity and abuse of power are direct violations of the Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Police Standing Orders. These must be investigated and action taken.
Though we do not want to set a bad precedent where police reforms are weaponised against the innocent police officers, there’s need to unmask those who give illegal orders and command extrajudicial killings. Sadly, half of the Gen Zs shot and killed by the police were school-going children and students.
A majority of Kenyans are already convinced that police inaction is systemic and not a mistake. Police officers must be subjected to same rules of law and justice. Police officers and security actors are not above the law and must be safe, free from torture, accountable and human rights-respecting.
The article was published in the Star Newspaper on 19th JUNE, 2025