Video by AJ+. Kenya’s youth, after defeating the finance bill, keep protesting—now demanding systemic reform, accountability, and an end to police violence.
🧾 Why This Story Matters Now
In September 2025, Al Jazeera released a documentary showing that Kenyan Gen Z activists remain mobilized a year after forcing President William Ruto to withdraw the 2024 Finance Bill. What began as opposition to new taxes has become a movement for justice, accountability, and sovereignty.
With more than 75% of Kenyans under 35, youth mobilization carries political weight. But the government’s response has been deadly—65 protesters were killed in summer 2024, and extrajudicial killings and abductions continue into 2025. Families still demand answers.
🔥 The Spark: IMF, Debt, and the Finance Bill Revolt
The 2024 Finance Bill was tied to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program seeking US$2.7 billion in new revenue to stabilize debt. Many saw it as austerity imposed from abroad, taxing bread, fuel, and mobile transfers while corruption thrived.
On June 20, 2024, police shot 19-year-old Rex Masai during protests in Nairobi, igniting national outrage. Five days later, more than 100,000 marched on Parliament. What began as a festive rally turned violent when police escalated with tear gas, rubber bullets, and live rounds, leaving three protesters dead. The next day, Ruto withdrew the bill.
📷 Investigations Expose the Truth
Video by BBC News Africa. BBC’s reconstruction of Kenya’s June 25 protests shows police and soldiers shot unarmed demonstrators; no accountability for killings yet.
The BBC documentary featured a 3D reconstruction of June 25 using more than 5,000 photos and videos, creating a frame-by-frame account of the shootings. It showed a plainclothes officer inciting colleagues to “kill,” a uniformed officer firing into the crowd, and a soldier likely responsible for another fatal shot. The reconstruction offered the clearest proof yet that unarmed demonstrators were deliberately targeted.
Al Jazeera’s film highlighted the human cost, profiling activists and families who refuse silence. It followed campaigners like Wanjira Wanjiru, long vocal against police violence after losing her brother in 2007, and Shakira Wafula, whose arrest pushed her into leadership. Their stories showed the protests were driven not by criminals, as the government claimed, but by ordinary Kenyans demanding a future free of corruption and fear.
⚖️ From Taxes to Justice
The killings shifted the struggle’s focus. Protesters demanded independent investigations, prosecution of security officers, and reforms to turn the “force” into a true service.
Some progress came in 2025. The custodial death of teacher-blogger Albert Ojwang led to murder charges against six people, including three police officers. Another officer was charged for shooting a street vendor. These rare cases proved pressure could deliver accountability, but most families of 2024’s victims remain without justice.
When the government proposed a compensation fund, critics resisted. As Faith Odhiambo, president of the Law Society of Kenya, argued: “Families need prosecutions, not payoffs.”
📣 From Protests to Political Infrastructure
Kenya’s youth are also building durable structures: first-aid and legal defense teams, digital hubs documenting abuses, and civic education campaigns. The approach has matured—gain visibility in the streets, then press for systemic reform in courts and institutions.
🗓️ One Year Later: What Has Changed?
- The bill is gone. Ruto scrapped it in June 2024, reversing an IMF-backed austerity plan.
- Killings continue. Dozens more have died since.
- Justice is partial. A few officers face charges; most cases remain unresolved.
- Protests endure. Kenya saw more than 1,800 demonstrations in 2024, its most volatile year in decades. Anniversary rallies in 2025 again turned deadly.
In October 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the seventh and eighth reviews of Kenya’s program, unlocking $606 million in disbursements despite unrest. As of September 2025, IMF staff are in Nairobi negotiating a new package—underscoring the tension between fiscal conditionality and public resistance.
🧭 The 2025 Stakes: Sovereignty, Rights, and Truth
For many young Kenyans, the IMF is more than a lender—it symbolizes external control. The Finance Bill was proof that sovereignty was being traded for debt repayments.
The movement is now about more than taxes. It asks whether democracy can survive austerity enforced by global creditors, and whether justice for slain protesters can exist alongside political impunity.
🚩 Bottom Line
The Finance Bill revolt showed Kenya’s Gen Z movement could force a government retreat even against international pressure. Their larger fight—for justice, reform, and sovereignty—continues. With cameras, courts, and collective energy, a fearless generation insists accountability must become the foundation of Kenya’s democracy.
