Protest turns bloody as police, protestors injured

Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid assists an injured protestor on June 25, 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

A female police officer was seriously injured on Wednesday during clashes in Nairobi's Central Business District, as Kenyans marked the first anniversary of the 2024 Gen Z-led protests.

The officer, who was part of a police team deployed to monitor the demonstrations, sustained a head injury along Banda Street under unclear circumstances.

Eyewitnesses reported the area was engulfed in tear gas and tension when she went down.

In a rare moment of unity, protestors rushed to help her lifting her into a St. John Ambulance vehicle even as tear gas canisters exploded.

Among those who came to her aid was Vocal Africa CEO Hussein Khalid, a human rights activist.
"We're unsure whether it was a tear gas canister or a stone that hit her, but what matters is that protestors stepped in to save her life. It shows that even amid conflict, humanity comes first," Khalid said.

Although organizers had called for peaceful processions, but parts of the CBD descended into chaos with running battles between protestors and anti-riot police.

Tear gas was fired indiscriminately as demonstrators surged through the city centre. On Kenyatta Avenue and Tom Mboya Street, some protestors suffered injuries from flying debris and stones. One middle-aged man was seen bleeding after being struck on the head.

scattered injuries and confrontations continued, leaving both police and demonstrators to bear the scars of a nation still reckoning with its past.

Outside the capital, tensions also flared as protestors blocked roads and lit bonfires in Kitengela and parts of the Thika Superhighway, tyres were burned in the streets.

Wednesday's protests were not just about remembering the dead they were a call for justice, accountability, and an end to police brutality.
"A year later, no officer has been held responsible for the killings. That's why young people are back on the streets. They haven't forgotten," Khalid said.

The day's demonstrations were held in memory of over 60 people who died during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests tragedies that culminated in the dramatic storming of Parliament.