With the first anniversary of the June 25 Anti-Finance Bill Protests fast approaching, survivors and victims are now speaking out against President William Ruto for not honoring the promises he made about compensation. Many say the government has remained silent, even after lives were lost and others permanently changed by police brutality.
One of the protesters, 25-year-old Antony Chege, who survived being shot during the demonstrations, is still recovering from his injuries. Chege is calling on President Ruto to stand by his word and compensate the victims whose lives were severely affected during the protests.
Chege, who was part of the massive turnout of young people protesting against the controversial Finance Bill, described the events of that day as horrifying and deeply unjust. According to him, the police responded with brutal force, using deadly violence against unarmed youth who were peacefully pushing for a better Kenya.
“What I saw was something I never imagined I’d witness in real life. It was like a movie scene—police were shooting us down like farmers cutting maize during harvest time,” Chege painfully recalled. He was part of the youthful group widely referred to as “Gen Z” that filled the streets to oppose the Finance Bill, which many Kenyans feared would make life even harder amid tough economic times.
The protest, which began as a peaceful march, quickly turned deadly when police started firing live bullets into the crowd. Many protesters were injured, and reports of fatalities quickly spread.
Chege remembered vividly how he was shot near the Holy Family Basilica. Although he survived with a gunshot wound to his leg, he tragically witnessed the death of another protester, David Chege, who had been standing right beside him.
“I was running with David towards the Basilica. Suddenly, he collapsed. I was shocked. Moments later, I felt a sting in my leg. I didn’t realize I had been shot until I got to Nation Center,” Chege explained.
Since that traumatic day, Chege’s life has been turned upside down. After being treated and discharged from the hospital, he has been stuck at home, unable to go out and provide for his family due to his leg injury.
Just a few weeks ago, President Ruto publicly apologized to the youth for the violence that occurred during the protests. However, Chege dismissed the apology as empty and not backed by any real action. He emphasized that a genuine apology should come with justice and tangible support for the affected.
“To me, that apology meant nothing. You can’t apologize to people who are no longer alive. What about those still in hospital since that day? Those are the people he should visit and apologize to. That’s the only way we can take it seriously,” he stated.
As the country prepares for the reading of the 2025 national budget this June, pressure is mounting on the government. Many Kenyans have already begun raising concerns over the Finance Bill 2025, saying it looks very similar to the 2024 Bill that led to chaos and deadly confrontations across the country.
The spotlight is now on the government and how it will respond—not only to the new economic proposals but also to the demands for justice, compensation, and accountability from a generation that refuses to be silenced.
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