FRUSTRATED YOUTH CONFRONT BROKEN PROMISES IN KENYA

Thu 26 June 2025:

Educated but jobless, young Kenyans take to the streets to demand a future, met by police force that has left at least 16 dead and hundreds injured.

At least 16 people have been killed and approximately 400 injured after thousands of Kenyans, led by a wave of discontented youth, clashed with police during nationwide demonstrations on Wednesday. The protests, marking the first anniversary of deadly anti-tax demonstrations, have once again plunged the nation into chaos, highlighting a deep-seated crisis of frustrated youth who feel betrayed by unfulfilled economic promises.

The demonstrations erupted in major cities including the capital Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu. Protesters were met with a heavy-handed police response, which included tear gas, water cannons, and the use of live ammunition to disperse crowds. Amnesty International Kenya and other human rights groups have confirmed the death toll, stating that most were killed by police. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned the “continued trend of police brutality and excesses.”

In Nairobi, authorities barricaded key government buildings, including the parliament and the president’s office, with razor wire. Despite this, thousands gathered, waving flags and chanting anti-government slogans. The situation escalated into violence, with protesters throwing stones and lighting street fires, while police responded with force. The Communications Authority of Kenya ordered a halt to live broadcasts of the protests, a move described as “draconian” by the Kenya Editors’ Guild and later suspended by a court.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

A Generation’s Discontent

The core of the protests is a generation of educated young Kenyans who see no path to prosperity. Josiah Muriukji, a Kenyan student, explained that many of his peers hold university degrees in fields like architecture, journalism, and economics, yet they cannot find employment.

“The young people are actually very educated,” Muriukji stated, noting that after migrating to cities for opportunities, they are told by the government, “we don’t have jobs for you.”

This sentiment captures the essence of the crisis facing the nation’s frustrated youth. They were encouraged to pursue higher education with the promise of a stable career, only to find themselves blocked by a lack of jobs and prohibitive taxes on small businesses.

“There is nowhere where a young person can thrive in their own country,” Muriukji said, articulating a widespread feeling of hopelessness. This disconnect between education and opportunity fuels the anger seen on the streets.

The protests are not only about economic hardship but also about accountability and justice. Public outrage has been intensified by recent incidents of alleged police brutality, including the death of a teacher in police custody and the shooting of a street vendor. For many, the promise of a better future has been broken, leaving a generation of frustrated youth feeling that they have no other option but to protest for their rights and demand to be heard by a leadership they believe has failed them.