It is a year since Kenyan streets ran with blood. The protests that began as a cry against a punishing cost of living and a divisive finance bill ended in violence, with dozens gunned down in the capital. Today, mourners lay flowers on the barbed wire that still coils around the parliament buildings in Nairobi.
The gesture is fragile, defiant. British aid agencies, who saw their own staff caught in the chaos, are now urging calm. But the underlying economic pain has not eased.
The price of maize flour and cooking oil remains stubbornly high. Wages have not caught up. For many in Nairobi’s sprawling slums, the memory of tear gas and live rounds is still sharp.
The flowers are a symbol of remembrance, but also a demand: the real economy must improve. Britain’s Department for International Development has released a statement expressing deep concern and calling for dialogue. Yet without concrete action on wages and food prices, the barbed wire may not stay adorned with petals for long.
