A group of human rights defenders and protest victims has unveiled a security preparedness plan for June 25, when Kenya will commemorate and honour civilians killed during the 2025 and 2026 protests.
Speaking at a press briefing in Nairobi, the group, which operates under the Amka Changamka Movement umbrella, urged participants to stay vigilant and called on the police to maintain accountability.
They said June 25 remains a painful reminder that Kenyans lost their lives while exercising their constitutional rights. They vowed not to forget the victims or allow the facts to be buried or distorted.
The group also told security agencies that the commemoration remains lawful and warned that any use of excessive force, unlawful arrests, or covert operations against peaceful citizens will be documented and pursued through available accountability mechanisms.
At the same time, they urged protesters to remain alert during the demonstrations, which they said will take place across the country, with a focus on areas where protesters were shot.
They added that they plan to lay flowers and wave the Kenyan flag alongside white handkerchiefs to symbolise their commitment to peace and justice.
“We will be waving the flag and white handkerchiefs and carrying flowers as a sign and commitment to our good intentions. We are asking the state to reciprocate that in equal measure to Kenyans who will be coming out to commemorate by acting with utmost restraint,” Fredrick Ojiro from the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) urged.
The group further urged young people attending the commemoration to stay together in groups and avoid standing alone.
“Do not stand alone. Have at least one trusted friend, brother, or sister who is actively looking out for you at all times,” they said in their joint statement.
They also encouraged young people nationwide to livestream the events, take photos, record videos, and share the content widely. The group said the electronic images would provide evidence against people they described as “goons” seeking to cause chaos and against officers who act outside the law.
In addition, the group said it deployed advanced drone technology to capture real-time footage from different locations. It added that it would document any alleged human rights violations with sufficient, verifiable evidence and would not tolerate what it described as organised criminal groups attempting to infiltrate peaceful commemorators to justify the use of force.
The group also said human rights monitors would be on the ground to observe the proceedings and record any violations.
In case of emergencies, it advised participants to use hotlines provided by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Defenders Coalition, the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), Amnesty International Kenya, Civic Freedoms Forum, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
Meanwhile, the group dismissed President William Ruto’s apology to victims of the protests, saying it was meaningless because it failed to acknowledge the role of those it described as perpetrators behind the killings. It argued that healing could only begin after the government establishes the truth, delivers justice, and then seeks reconciliation before issuing direct apologies to each family.
On whether the protests were organised by politicians who submitted a notice to police last week, the group clarified that the commemoration belongs to Kenyans. It said it welcomed all citizens of goodwill to participate while rejecting any attempt to hijack the event for personal political gain.
