Constitutional lawyer and human rights defender, Willis Otieno has come out to condemn the State’s response to the ongoing June 25, 2025 protests.
In a series of posts on his X platform, the city lawyer continued to echo the frustrations of many who have come out in large numbers to commemorate the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests and pay respect to those who lost their lives.
“You woke up at 5am not to build hospitals, not to fix roads, not to feed children — but to wrap Parliament in wire like a crime scene,” said Otieno.
“You barricade the city like you are under siege. You tax us like we are your enemies. The only belt you have tightened is the noose around the neck of the mwananchi. We see you,” he added.
The remarks come as the government deployed heavily armed police officers across major towns, with Parliament and State House barricaded by razor wire and armored vehicles.
The protesters were met by tear gas, water cannons, and heavily armed officers, despite organizers and civil society groups insisting that the demonstrations would remain peaceful.
Otieno continued to decry police response to the hundreds of youthful protesters who have thronged the streets, with anti government chants and the demand for justice for the “fallen heroes” emphasizing the constitutional rights for citizens to picket and hold demonstrations, with police protection, rather than retaliation.
“Police were trained to protect. Now they’re used to intimidate, suppress, and maim. Their guns are not pointed at criminals but at students, mothers, and protesters. You don’t protect peace by silencing pain,” Otieno added in another post.
Otieno’s words have galvanized thousands online, with the posts being widely shared under the hashtags #rejectstateviolence and #sirininumbers turning his statement into a rallying cry for accountability and justice.
As tensions rise within the Nairobi Central Business District and other major towns including Thika, Kitengela, Machakos, Mombasa, Homa Bay, among others, voices like Otieno’s are becoming increasingly central to the public discourse.
