Families of Kenyans who died during the June 25, 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations went to Jogoo House on Thursday to formally notify the National Police Service of memorial activities for the first anniversary of the deadly protests.
Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Senior Counsel Martha Karua, Siaya Governor James Orengo, lawyer Gitobu Imanyara and former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana accompanied the families.
The group, joined by civil rights activists, delivered a notification letter before the June 25 memorial events, among them a planned march to Parliament to remember those killed in the protests.
The families took the opportunity to repeat their demand for justice, saying that a year after their relatives were killed, accountability has still not been secured.
Speaking for the bereaved families, one mother rejected assertions that justice had been delivered through court proceedings and the arrest of junior officers.
She said that although some suspects have appeared in court, the suffering endured by the families remains unresolved, adding that no legal process can bring back the lives lost.
The procession paused briefly at the entrance to Jogoo House, where former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga confronted police officers who had initially limited access to the compound.
Addressing officers at the gate, Mutunga said: “We have the power over you. You work for us.”
He argued that the families of those killed in the protests had every right to enter the premises and submit their notice, saying citizens should not be barred from exercising constitutional rights.
Mutunga also said the relatives of people who died at the hands of police deserved respect and a chance to pursue justice through lawful channels.
Karua and Orengo stood with the families in calling for guarantees that participants in the June 25 memorial events would be safe.
The two leaders stressed that peaceful assembly is protected by the Constitution and urged Inspector-General Douglas Kanja to ensure security agencies protect lives and property during the commemorations.
“No form of compensation can replace justice for families whose relatives were killed,” Orengo said.
Orengo also called on Kenyan mothers, fathers, siblings and friends to march to Parliament to seek justice and lay flowers at the place where their children were cruelly killed.
They cautioned against attempts by rogue elements to infiltrate or disrupt the planned memorial activities and asked police to support, rather than obstruct, peaceful gatherings.
The leaders also called for accountability over the deaths recorded during last year’s demonstrations, saying the country must address unresolved questions about the killings.
The families promised to remember their loved ones by marching peacefully to Parliament on June 25, saying the memory of those killed during the anti-Finance Bill protests would remain alive until justice is served.
As of Thursday, Inspector-General Douglas Kanja had not publicly released a detailed response to the demands made by the families and their legal representatives.