Nairobi, Kenya – One year after the deadliest protests in a generation, families returned to the streets not with placards, but with flowers. They placed them on the razor wire that still coils along government buildings, a grim reminder of the bloodshed that unfolded here. The Commonwealth has now condemned the state violence that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
Ruth Njoroge, a mother whose son was shot during the protests, laid a single white rose on the wire. “He wanted a better future,” she said. “Now he is gone, and we are still fighting for bread and justice.” Her words echo across a nation where the cost of living has soared and wages have stagnated.
On June 25, 2023, thousands took to the streets across Kenya to rage against the Finance Bill, which imposed new taxes on essentials like bread, cooking oil, and mobile money transfers. The protests spiralled into the worst crisis of President William Ruto’s tenure. Police fired live rounds. At least 50 people were killed, according to human rights groups; the government says 30. Countless others were arrested.
Today, the atmosphere was tense but somber. A heavy police presence lined the route from the city centre to Parliament. Yet families refused to be intimidated. They carried photographs of the dead and placards reading “51 reasons for change.” The Commonwealth Observer Group, in a statement released this morning, condemned what it called “excessive use of force” and called for an independent investigation. “The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of democracy,” the statement read. “State violence only deepens the wounds of injustice.”
For many Kenyans, the pain is raw. The cost of a loaf of bread has risen by 30 per cent in two years. A litre of cooking oil now costs more than a day’s wage for a casual labourer. “We cannot eat democracy when our children are hungry,” said James Omondi, a teacher who joined the protests last year. He was teargassed and spent two nights in a cell. Today, he stood silently as a women’s choir sang hymns.
The government has defended its actions, claiming the protests were infiltrated by criminals. But the families see things differently. “They call us rioters. We are mothers, fathers, workers,” said Grace Wanjiku, whose sister died in the violence. “We want accountability, not excuses.”
The Commonwealth’s condemnation carries weight. Kenya is a key member of the 56-nation bloc, and the statement signals growing international unease. But on the ground, trust has been shattered. “Words are cheap,” said activist Peter Kimani. “We need justice, we need economic relief, and we need the government to listen to the people it claims to serve.”
As the sun set over Nairobi, families walked away from the razor wire, their flowers still caught in the loops. The anniversary is over. But the struggle for a living wage and for justice is far from finished.
Sarah Jenkins, Economy & Labour Reporter
