The Kikuyu Council of Elders has stepped forward with a strong message to security agencies, calling on them to take firm preventive action ahead of the June 25 anniversary commemorations honoring lives lost during Kenya’s 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests. The council made clear that allowing the events to be disrupted would be a betrayal of those who sacrificed their lives.
In their statement, the elders raised alarm over what they termed “rising political tensions, inflammatory rhetoric and reports of planned violence in major urban centres.” They went further, flagging credible concerns that organised gangs may be mobilised and deployed to cause chaos during the commemorations, with financial backing potentially being channelled into funding such violent activities.
Council Secretary General James Nene drove the message home, reminding all Kenyans that “maintaining peace remains a collective responsibility” — words that carry weight regardless of one’s political leanings. National Chairman Wachira Wa Kiago reinforced this position, calling on citizens to stand firm against violence, warning that such a path “only fuel further bloodshed and derail the country’s development agenda.”
Young representatives who attended the council’s briefing added their own voices to the call for restraint. They proposed that those taking part in the June 25 commemorations carry national flags, white handkerchiefs, and water as symbols of peaceful intent. Equally, they called on security agencies to provide proper protection for participants and ensure that criminal elements are not allowed to infiltrate or hijack the events.
Beyond physical safety, the council extended its warning into the political sphere, cautioning Kenyans against being drawn into manipulation through promises or narratives that link financial compensation to protest-related deaths and injuries. The elders made plain that such overtures should be treated with suspicion and firmly rejected by all communities.
As June 25 draws closer, the Kikuyu Council of Elders’ appeal reflects a desire shared by many Kenyans — that the anniversary be observed as a solemn, dignified moment of reflection rather than a fresh flashpoint for unrest. The lives lost in 2024 deserve to be honoured with the same courage and conviction that defined the young people who took to the streets, and the elders are calling on every stakeholder, from security agencies to ordinary citizens, to protect that legacy.
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