One year after Kenya's deadliest protests in decades, families returned to the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday to lay flowers on the rusted barbed wire that still lines the city's thoroughfares. They came to remember the dozens killed when police opened fire on demonstrators demanding economic justice and an end to runaway inflation. The anniversary comes as Britain's Foreign Office issued a rare condemnation of the Kenyan government's handling of the unrest, urging restraint and accountability.
The protests, which erupted in March 2023, were driven by soaring food prices, a new housing levy, and a perception of government corruption. What began as peaceful marches quickly turned violent after police used live ammunition. At least 50 people died, according to human rights groups, though the official toll remains disputed. Today, the mood was sombre. Mothers clutched photographs of sons and daughters who never came home. A woman named Grace Achieng, whose 22-year-old son was shot in Kisumu, told me: "He was just buying bread. They killed him for bread."
Barbed wire remains a symbol of the state's response. It rings government buildings, banks, and even some supermarkets, a permanent scar on the capital's landscape. Families weaved marigold chains through the wire, a stark contrast to the steel barricades. One protester, a nurse named Peter Kamau, said: "We wanted to remember them, but also to show the government that we have not forgotten. The economy is still broken. We still cannot afford maize flour."
Britain's condemnation came via a statement from Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell, who said he was "deeply concerned by reports of excessive force" and called for an independent investigation into the killings. The statement is a departure from the UK's usual reluctance to criticise a key regional ally. Kenya is a major recipient of British aid and investment, and hosts the UK's largest military base in Africa. Some analysts see the move as a sign of shifting diplomatic winds, possibly linked to the UK's own cost-of-living crisis and growing pressure from diaspora groups.
But on the ground, the British statement was met with a shrug. "What does that change?" asked Mary Ngugi, a market trader in Kibera. "Our children are still dead. Prices are still high. Britain sells arms to our government, they tell us to be peaceful, but they don't help us feed our families." Indeed, the UK exported £12 million worth of military equipment to Kenya last year, including crowd control gear.
The economic backdrop remains grim. Kenya's inflation rate is 9.3 per cent, with food inflation at 14 per cent. The shilling has lost a third of its value against the dollar. For most workers, wages have not kept pace. A school teacher earns about £200 a month. A litre of milk costs £1.20. It is a calculation many cannot balance. The protests were about the cost of living, but they also tapped into deeper grievances about inequality and police brutality.
As the sun set over Nairobi, elders performed a blessing for the dead. They poured milk on the ground, a traditional ritual of remembrance. The barbed wire glinted in the fading light, a monument to the state's defence of order over justice. The government has not commented on the anniversary, nor on Britain's criticism. But in a speech last week, President William Ruto promised to "protect the nation against anarchy". For families like Grace's, anarchy is a price they already paid.
