A Nation Divided Between Mourning and Protest
Kenya stopped to remember on June 25, 2025, as the country juggled mourning and rising tension. President William Ruto landed in Dabaso, Kilifi County, for the burial of Mzee Gideon Baya Mung’aro—father of the county’s governor, Gideon Mung’aro. It wasn’t just any funeral; the guest list read like a cross-section of national leadership. Next to Ruto stood ODM’s Raila Odinga, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, and Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, all reflecting the funeral’s political weight and symbolic timing.
On the very same day, memories of violence and loss from the 2024 protests resurfaced everywhere. Exactly a year before, streets across the nation had erupted in anger over the controversial Finance Bill. Those demonstrations left more than 60 people dead, fueling a storm of grief and outrage over how police responded. Now in 2025, young Kenyans—Gen Z in particular—weren’t willing to let that memory fade.
Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisii, and many more towns woke up to renewed marches. Protesters, mostly youth, chanted the names of victims and waved banners demanding justice and reforms. Social media buzzed with livestreams and footage, amplifying their message beyond city centers. The heavy police presence was impossible to miss—armored trucks parked at intersections, officers standing in clusters, and helicopters tracing the crowd’s path from above. The government wasn’t taking any chances, especially with the world watching this tense anniversary unfold.
Politics Amid Grief: Security, Reflection, and Mixed Signals
Ruto balanced his day with both mourning and state duties. Before heading to Kilifi, he met with Sultan Ali Allana, representing Prince Rahim Al Hussaini Aga Khan, at State House Nairobi. They talked up the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Kenya’s health and education, with Ruto offering an official invitation to the Aga Khan himself. Plans include recognizing the Ismaili Imamat and awarding the Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart—moves aimed at bolstering Kenya’s ties with global partners, even as homegrown pressure mounts.
Back at the funeral, Ruto took the microphone to call for calm. "To every police officer, I give you my assurance that the Government of Kenya will support you and stand by you as you keep our families and property safe," he said. The words were carefully chosen. The president wants to reassure both the police, still smarting from past backlash, and a public demanding justice for last year’s deaths. He urged demonstrators to keep the peace, knowing that anger runs deep—especially among families who lost loved ones in the chaos of 2024.
Raila Odinga, forever a thorn in the government’s side and a voice for opposition, also had to strike a tricky balance. He warned protesters against violence but threw his weight behind the need for ongoing national soul-searching. His presence lent further gravity to the day's events in Kilifi, while across the nation, activists saw in him a potential ally—or, just as likely, a cautious elder wary of more bloodshed.
The context for all this was heightened security everywhere. Authorities remain wary; the events of last June still haunt the corridors of power. At every memorial, and across the protesting crowds, the names of the fallen echoed—a demand not just for safe streets, but for a reckoning with political accountability that looks far from finished.
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