Video: Protesters Stage Football Match in CBD as Police Fire Teargas Canisters
- Young protesters flooded Nairobi’s CBD on Wednesday, June 25, to mark one year since the deadly 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations
- In a rare show of defiance and joy, a group of Gen Z demonstrators played football in the middle of the street
- Their peaceful match briefly drew cheers and curiosity before police abruptly fired teargas canisters into the crowd
- The street turned chaotic as protestors fled in panic, choking and scattering amid clouds of teargas
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Nairobi - Kenyans have taken to the streets in honour of Gen Z killed during the 2024 demonstrations.
Source: UGC
On Wednesday, June 25, the capital's central business district was flooded with young protesters marking the first anniversary of the deadly 2024 demonstrations against the Finance Bill.
The Gen Z-led movement sought to honour the lives lost during last year’s brutal police crackdown, many of them youths, and reignite calls for accountability and meaningful change.
How did the Nairobi protesters pass time?
Amid the tense standoff between protestors and heavily deployed riot police, a group of demonstrators decided to inject a moment of joy by playing a brief football match in the middle of the street.
A video circulating widely online shows the youth dribbling and passing the ball, cheered on by bystanders and watched curiously by boda boda riders parked nearby.
For a brief moment, it seemed like a celebration of resilience in the face of pain, but that moment didn’t last.
Without warning, police responded by firing multiple teargas canisters into the crowd, abruptly ending the street game and sending protestors and onlookers scrambling for cover.
The laughter and cheers were quickly replaced by chaos, coughing, and cries of panic as smoke filled the air.
How did Western governments warn Kenya?
Ahead of the protests, foreign diplomatic missions, including the embassies of the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and several others, urged Kenya’s government to uphold peaceful demonstrations during the June 25 Gen Z memorial protests.
In a joint statement, they warned against using plainclothes officers in unmarked vehicles, a practice ruled unlawful by the High Court and condemned the deployment of hired goons to disrupt rallies.
They emphasised that such tactics erode public trust, urging full compliance with court rulings and encouraging swift, transparent investigations into past violence against protesters.
Source: Getty Images
What did government say about protests?
Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen assured authorities would crack down on those planning chaos, targeting anyone distributing weapons like machetes or clubs during the demonstrations.
UDA MP Nelson Koech criticised the diplomats, saying their public statement risks meddling in Kenyan affairs and undermining sovereignty.
Though he agreed the use of goons is troubling, he reiterated that Kenya’s efforts to maintain order remain subject to oversight by the Judiciary and Parliament.
As heavy security is deployed across Nairobi, with roadblocks and checkpoints in place, this diplomatic warning highlights rising tensions ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly Gen Z-led protests, where over 60 people died and hundreds were injured.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
