Kenya Faces Uncertainty as Protests Yield Little Change

Exactly one year after Kenya’s historic Gen Z-led protests shook the nation, streets across the country once again erupted in chaos on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

What began as a remembrance of those killed during last year’s demonstrations quickly spiraled into another wave of deadly unrest.

In Nakuru, businesses were looted in broad daylight. Nairobi witnessed some of the most violent scenes, with at least three hundred people injured in confrontations between protesters and police.

As usual, teargas filled the air. Gunshots rang out with at least eight people reported killed. And across the country, grief returned, raw and unresolved.

But the question remains: Did the June 25, 2025 protests achieve anything?

Many turned out to demand justice, accountability, and economic reforms. Yet for some, the result was more bloodshed.

In a post by The Nairobi Times on X(formerly Twitter), showing a youth shot in the head, user Yulemrasta commented:

“The fact that we did not accomplish the mission of marching to State House, this comrade’s death is all in vain.”

Another X user, @oboy_jay, wrote:

“I will never attend any protest in Africa. I’d rather single-handedly target the oppressor and end him than make myself a victim of circumstance. Protest makes you even more vulnerable. Protest has never achieved anything in Africa.”

The protest’s impact was further clouded by a controversial directive from the Communications Authority to stop live coverage  which was later nullified by the High Court.

While the protests amplified public frustration, there remains little clarity on what changed. Dialogue is absent. Promises remain hollow.

As Kenya reflects, one must ask: What’s the cost of being heard? And is a protest still worth it when it often ends in death and bloodshed?

Until those answers come, the cycle of pain may repeat louder, angrier, and more tragic.