Kenya prepares for anniversary protests over tax, police violence

Kenya is preparing for fresh demonstrations on Thursday as young protesters mark two years since a tax revolt grew into a broader challenge to President William Ruto’s government. Al Jazeera reported that the commemorations will also mourn more than 120 people killed during the protest movement and subsequent crackdowns.

The demonstrations are expected in Nairobi and other major cities, according to Al Jazeera. Ruto’s administration has warned against the rallies and ordered a heavy police deployment, the outlet reported.

How the protests started

Kenya’s Gen Z protest movement began in 2024 with opposition to a finance bill intended to raise $2.7bn in additional tax revenue, according to Al Jazeera. On June 25 that year, after lawmakers approved the measure, protesters entered parliament and set part of the building on fire, the outlet reported.

Ruto later sent the bill back to parliament for changes, according to Al Jazeera. The concession did not end the anger over living costs, joblessness, inequality and corruption, which experts cited by the outlet said remain unresolved.

Al Jazeera reported that the movement drew its name from a younger generation that organized largely through social media rather than through parties or established activist groups. Similar youth-led movements have appeared in other countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, according to the outlet.

Ruto won office in 2022 on a populist platform that appealed to poorer and younger Kenyans, Al Jazeera reported. His presidency has since been marked by higher taxes and inflation, the outlet said.

Last year’s crackdown

The protests returned in June 2025 for the first anniversary of the 2024 deaths, according to Al Jazeera. Public anger grew after blogger Albert Ojwang died in police custody, renewing demands for accountability over police conduct, the outlet reported.

Rights groups and media reports said more than 60 people were killed and more than 500 injured in the 2025 crackdown, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that this year’s remembrance comes amid continuing tension in the capital.

At a June 21 memorial service at Nairobi Baptist Church, families of people killed by police joined other victims of protest crackdowns, Al Jazeera reported. Chris Kinyanjui, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, said in a statement that the church stood with Kenyans carrying the pain of that period.

Ruto warns against rallies

Ruto has defended the Finance Act, 2026, as a law aimed at growth and investment, according to Al Jazeera. He has described opposition to it as “propaganda” and said it represents a move away from aggressive revenue collection toward support for business and private investment, the outlet reported.

Speaking in Nairobi on June 19, Ruto urged Kenyans not to demonstrate on Thursday and said people should go to school and work, according to Al Jazeera. He said the government would not allow people to be mobilized to destroy property or cause chaos.

Siaya County Governor James Orengo, a senior opposition figure, called for remembrance events, including a march to government buildings in Nairobi and vigils around the country, Al Jazeera reported. In a post on X, he urged those unable to march to stay home in solidarity.

Justice questions remain

Ruto last week announced a nearly $15m fund to compensate 1,100 people affected by violent protests between 2017 and 2025, according to Al Jazeera. He described the payments as an acknowledgment that harm occurred but did not apologize, the outlet reported.

AFP quoted Gillian Munyao, whose son Rex Masai was among the first people killed in the June 2024 protests, as saying the payments would not deliver justice without accountability for those responsible. Al Jazeera reported that only three cases from the 2024 protest deaths and one from 2025 have reached court, with no officer convicted.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said dozens of government critics were abducted in 2024 and 2025, and many remain missing, according to Al Jazeera. Ruto said in May 2025 that an accountability process existed, but Al Jazeera reported that critics, including his former attorney general, have accused him of responsibility for the kidnappings and that no investigation has been evident.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.