Gen Z protesters paralyse Thika Road in city march

Hundreds of Gen Z protesters march along Thika Superhighway to Nairobi CBD, on June 25, 2025. [Gitau Wanyoike, Standard]

Hundreds of Gen Z protesters on Wednesday brought operations along the Thika Superhighway to a standstill as they marched from Thika Town toward Nairobi in honour of victims killed during last year's anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.

The protests, which began early in Thika Town, quickly escalated into running battles with police. Demonstrators blocked both sides of the busy highway, paralysing traffic and prompting heavy police deployment.

The initial group, largely made up of young people from Thika and surrounding estates, chanted slogans and demanded justice for victims of police brutality, calling them "martyrs of a failed state." Tensions rose when marchers from Witeithie joined in, insisting they would walk to Nairobi in solidarity with nationwide protests.

"We are jobless graduates, that's what the President needs to hear," said protester Jane Muthoni. "Albert was killed inside a police station, the only place we thought was safe," added Macdonald Mugo.

In Juja, police lobbed tear gas to repel protesters attempting to storm the local station. Business across Thika, Juja, and Ruiru ground to a halt, with most supermarkets and banks closed under police watch. By 4:30pm, demonstrators chanting "One term!" and "Ruto must go!" had reached Ruiru.

In Kikuyu, protests turned destructive as protesters torched the Sub-County offices and parts of the Kikuyu Law Courts. Police were overwhelmed, and property worth unknown value was destroyed. The unrest intensified when demonstrators from Limuru and Zambezi joined the chaos, hurling stones at officers.

Along the Southern Bypass and Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, protesters lit bonfires and forced motorists to flee. A truck ferrying red soil was commandeered to block the road. Businesses across Kiambu County shut down amid fears of looting as matatus diverted to off-road routes to avoid the unrest.