Kaluma warns youth against being used in protests by absent opposition leaders
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has warned Kenyan youth, urging them not to allow opposition leaders to use them as pawns in street protests.
His remarks come in the wake of growing tension following the justice for Ojwang protests that turned deadly on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Taking to his X account on Thursday, June 19, 2025, Kaluma criticised what he termed as visionless opposition leaders, accusing them of inciting young people to protest while keeping their children safely at home.
He cautioned the youth not to be used as statistics for donor funding and urged them not to take to the streets unless led by the very people calling for action.
“The visionless opposition leaders are inciting other people’s children to head to the streets as they remain behind sharing out donor funding. Did Boniface Mwangi et al enter Parliament that day? He stayed behind and increased his Yayah stock after the protests. Don’t be their donor financing data. Don’t go to the streets unless they lead you, with your children,” Kaluma stated.
Kaluma’s comments follow protests that erupted on June 17, 2025, in Nairobi and Mombasa, triggered by the death of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang. Ojwang had been arrested earlier this month and died while in police custody on June 8, 2025.
Police initially claimed that he had committed suicide, but an independent autopsy later confirmed that he had suffered physical injuries consistent with assault.
The revelation sparked nationwide outrage and renewed calls for justice and police accountability, especially among the youth.
In Nairobi, the demonstrations turned chaotic. Protesters clashed with police who responded with tear gas and, in some instances, live bullets. One protester was shot, while a street vendor was critically injured after being shot in the head, a disturbing scene that was captured on video and widely circulated online.
Protesters also reported being attacked by men on motorbikes wielding clubs and whips, whom many believe were operating alongside police forces.
The police officer who shot the street vendor has been arrested, and several senior officers are facing charges in connection with Ojwang’s death.
President William Ruto publicly acknowledged that Ojwang died as a result of police actions, and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is conducting further investigations.
June 25
As the dust settles from last week’s protests, attention is now shifting to the upcoming Gen Z memorial protests scheduled for June 25, 2025. The date marks one year since the deadly protests against the 2024 Finance Bill that saw over 60 people killed and Parliament briefly overrun by protesters before the bill was eventually withdrawn.
Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Seda assured the public that security will be fully provided during the protests.
Addressing the media on Wednesday evening, Seda confirmed that police had officially received a notification about the planned protests and that adequate measures are in place to ensure safety for both demonstrators and non-participants.
“For June 25, we have got what we call the enhanced plan for that; the letter which was delivered to central, we have the copy,” Seda said.
“We will provide enough security to ensure every person who is going to participate, and even those who are not participating, is safe.”
He appealed to the public to keep the protests peaceful and warned against actions that could disrupt others not involved in the demonstrations.
“What I would like to urge the public is to let us restrict ourselves to peaceful demonstrations; let us not have demonstrations which are going to interfere with the other people who may not be part of the demonstrators,” he stated.
Seda reminded citizens that the protests fall on a weekday and any unruly behaviour could be seen as disruptive and counterproductive to the purpose of the memorial.
He also raised concerns about individuals who had provoked officers during past protests, stressing that the police are not out to confront the public but to safeguard everyone.
“It will be a working day. We shall be having other people operating shops, hotels and even others at the bus stations. We are looking more uncivilised when we start converging, and then as we continue, it turns violent, and it loses the logic of conducting it,” he added.
Adding;
“Some protestors go to rough up officers who are armed provocatively, we are not there to be at war with the public; we are just there to provide safety.”
