Young people in Kenya protest police brutality and bad governance as demonstrations spread

(25 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nairobi, Kenya – 25 June 2025
1.⁠ ⁠Various of protestors running and police throwing teargas
2.⁠ ⁠Various of protestors, chanting UPSOUND (English) “We are peaceful”
3.⁠ ⁠Various of protester Sevelina Mwihaki (in red) running behind a police vehicle
4.⁠ ⁠Mid of Mwihaki
5.⁠ ⁠SOUNDBITE (English) Sevelina Mwihaki, protestor:
“Enough is enough, this is a nation, this is not a forest, enough is enough, Kenya. We are here for change, it is time for us to get our nation, the blood that we have shed is enough. There is no blood left in our flag anymore.”
6.⁠ ⁠Various of protestors
7.⁠ ⁠Various of a tyre burning
8.⁠ ⁠Various of police officers
9.⁠ ⁠SOUNDBITE (English) Rose Murugi, protestor:
“They are involved in extrajudicial killings, they are involved in enforced disappearances and they are involved in, you know, kidnapping people and abducting people. And we’ve seen some people turn up dead, so this must end. We are not scared to say it, we will say it boldly, we will say it courageously, police brutality must end and (President) Ruto must go.”
10.⁠ ⁠Various of police officers in vehicles patrolling
11.⁠ ⁠Various of teargas smoke
12.⁠ ⁠Injured protester being assisted
13.⁠ ⁠Injured protester being taken to a hospital on motorbike

STORYLINE:
Thousands of protesters against police brutality and government corruption clashed with police Wednesday in Nairobi, as demonstrations spread across the country.

During the clashes, police hurled tear gas canisters and wielded batons, injuring several people.

The protests were timed to mark the one-year anniversary of anti-tax demonstrations in which 60 people were killed and 20 others remain missing.

The protests, which have now spread to major cities including Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Nyahururu, have morphed into calls for the president to resign due to what protesters are saying is poor governance.

Kenyan youth remain unhappy with the current administration due to corruption, rising cost of living and police brutality, and the recent death of a blogger in custody.

The close-range shooting of a civilian during recent protests has exacerbated public anger.

Young Kenyans used social media to plan protests in remembrance of those who died last year.

The government spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, on Monday said there would be no protests, and that Wednesday was a “normal working day.”

But businesses in Nairobi on Wednesday remained closed and police limited the movement of vehicles into the central business district.

Hundreds of Kenyans were already on the streets early in the morning, chanting anti-government slogans as police hurled tear gas cannisters at some of the crowds.

An Associated Press journalist witnessed a demonstrator being injured in the mouth by a round fired by police towards a crowd.

Another protester was clobbered on the head by anti-riot police and was taken by medics in an ambulance.

AP video by Idi Ali Juma

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/

You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/19c37e8067a34d4a8745e5322fc469a1

source