NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 25 – Activist Boniface Mwangi has called on the government to construct a permanent monument outside Parliament in honor of young Kenyans killed during the Gen Z protests, arguing that the memorial would serve as a lasting reminder of their sacrifice and the country’s struggle for accountability.
Speaking during commemorations marking the anniversary of the June 25, 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations, Mwangi said the monument should stand near Parliament, the symbolic center of the protests where demonstrators breached security barriers in a historic show of public dissent.
“We want an apology from the government of this country. Apologize to the young people for killing them. Build a monument for them,” Mwangi said after joining fellow activists and families of victims in laying flowers near Parliament Buildings.
“Remember the Gen Z youth who lost their lives. Arrest all killer cops and ensure justice is served.”
The activist said memorializing those who died would help preserve the legacy of a generation that reshaped Kenya’s political conversation and inspired greater civic engagement among young people.
His remarks came as activists gathered outside Parliament under heavy security to honor victims of the 2024 protests and subsequent demonstrations. The area remained heavily fortified with barbed wire barricades and a large deployment of police officers controlling access to the precinct.
Mwangi argued that the anniversary had effectively become a national day of remembrance despite the government maintaining that Thursday was a normal working day.
“As you can see, there is no work, and there is no school. The young people have already made this a national holiday,” he said.
Beyond the proposed monument, activists renewed demands for the arrest and prosecution of police officers linked to protest-related deaths, insisting that compensation for affected families could not replace justice.
The calls came amid commemorations held across Nairobi as Kenyans reflected on the events of June 25, 2024, when youth-led demonstrations against the Finance Bill culminated in protesters storming Parliament and triggering a nationwide debate on governance, accountability and police conduct.