The Ghosts of June 25th...

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I am Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street. In today's newsletter edition, we highlight some of the major events that have occurred today. One year after the Anti Finance Bill protests that rocked the nation and etched its memories in our collective consciousness…

The Ghosts of 25th June : One Year Later…

They gathered again in Nairobi and across major cities and towns in Kenya. On roads once stained with blood and dotted with tear gas canisters, beneath the watchful eyes of riot police and behind the barricades of a still-wounded state.

Thousands of young Kenyans, wrapped in flags and memories, filled downtown Nairobi on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of last year’s deadly anti-Finance Bill protests that claimed at least sixty lives, according to rights groups. It was a national moment of reflection.

Last year, on this same date, protesters surged past police lines and stormed into Parliament grounds, enraged by a tax bill many regarded as emblematic of broken promises. That moment, the crescendo of the Gen-Z movement, left the country rattled and its leadership bruised. What followed was a season of suppression: targeted arrests, widespread abductions, and the deaths of state critics in custody.

This year, organizers called for peaceful action. Still, the anxiety was tangible: Parliament Road was sealed off with razor wire; armored police vehicles crawled through alleyways; plainclothes officers were spotted watching from rooftops. Many businesses opted to remain shut to avoid being looted.

International embassies, including those of the U.S., U.K., and Canada, released a joint statement calling for restraint. They criticized Kenya’s use of unmarked vehicles and undercover officers, a method that was prohibited by the courts.

President William Ruto, for his part, struck a defiant tone. In a speech on Tuesday, he warned protesters against “threatening the nation” and pledged to back law enforcement. This, despite promises made during his 2022 campaign to end the very tactics now being used against dissent.

There is a growing feeling among many Kenyans that the country’s youthful majority; ambitious, restless, and increasingly cornered by economic despair has entered a long struggle not just for better governance, but for the soul of their democracy…

For more updates on the protests, stay in touch with The Kenyan Wall Street Social Media pages and website…

Another Toast of Censorship

As the numbers of protestors swelled in Nairobi, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) issued an unambiguous directive: all television and radio stations were to cease live broadcasts of the day’s antigovernment protests. In a rare act of defiance, some major Television stations like NTV (Nation Media Group), Citizen TV (Royal Media), and KTN (Standard Group) defied the directive and their broadcast feeds were taken off-air.

In the circular signed by Director General David Mugonyi, various Constitutional provisions that limit incitement and outline media freedoms were invoked, as well as the Kenya Information and Communications Act.

The timing was not incidental: the protests marked one year since a deadly police crackdown drew global rebuke and left scores dead. By invoking national law, the Authority sought to frame its move as a constitutional safeguard, but civil rights groups warned of creeping censorship. The notice did not detail specific penalties, instead relying on the chilling weight of compliance language and legal ambiguity. In a country where news is often the only defense against silence, the cameras were told to look away. The question is why? 🤔 

Kenya has also begun restricting access to Telegram as authorities ban live media coverage of the June 25 protest anniversary. The move echoes last year’s alleged, but officially denied, social media throttling during youth-led demonstrations against tax hikes. Civil society groups warn of a pattern: digital censorship deployed under the guise of public order. With platforms going dark and broadcasters muzzled, fears of a wider internet shutdown are no longer abstract.

Meanwhile, The Law Society of Kenya, joined by the Kenya Editors’ Guild and other civil liberties groups, has issued a sharp rebuke of the government’s directive banning live protest broadcasts and restricting Telegram. In a rare unified statement, the coalition described the order as both “legally and factually flawed,” arguing that it runs afoul of constitutional protections for free expression and press freedom, and directly violates a 2023 High Court ruling barring such blackouts. They warned that the clampdown is not only curtailing the public’s right to information but also endangering emergency response efforts on the ground. Signaling the gravity of the moment, the Law Society has threatened immediate legal action, underscoring its growing role as a bulwark against the state’s deepening contempt for the rule of law.

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