Former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has urged police officers to avoid using excessive force on citizens during the June 25, 2025 protests.

In a statement on Wednesday, Matiang’i noted that it was wrong for police officers to turn their guns on fellow Kenyans.

This was after thousands of young people, commonly referred to as Gen Z, gathered in Nairobi and other towns to mark the tragic events of June 25, 2024, and to honour the memory of the Gen Z protesters who lost their lives at that time. 

In 2024, the protestors were voicing concerns over the Finance Bill 2024, punitive tax policies, the mismanagement of public resources, reduced government funding to universities, and broader issues of governance.

The young active citizens were exercising their protected right to petition the authorities.

“I urge the government to genuinely listen to the citizens’ cry for justice and reform. I also make a heartfelt plea to our security officers: please do not turn your weapons on your fellow citizens, exercise restraint and sobriety. Do not meet peaceful protests with force,” Matiang’i noted.

He added that it is only through dialogue and a genuine willingness to listen that Kenyans will find a path to peaceful resolution of grievances and the restoration of calm in the country.

According to Matiang’i, the use of force by the authorities will only deepen the crisis and push the country down a dangerous and slippery slope.

“My deepest sympathies go out to the families who have lost their loved ones over the last one year under these tragic and unfortunate circumstances,” he said. 

The former CS emphasized that regardless of the political affiliations or the divides that exist among Kenyans, this is a time to pull together and reflect deeply on the foundations of Kenya.

“We must come together across party lines and generations, to fix what is broken and build a future that is just, accountable, and inclusive,” Matiang’i concluded.