Youth-led protests erupt again in Kenya over police brutality and poor governance

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Youth-led protests against police brutality and poor governance have erupted across Kenya again on Wednesday, with thousands making their way to the central business district in the capital, Nairobi.

The protests, which coincided with the first anniversary of demonstrations opposing tax hikes that left 60 people dead and 20 others missing, followed last week's rallies that demanded answers for the unexplained death of a Kenyan blogger while in police custody.

Frustration is growing, especially among Generation Z, over police violence, economic struggles, and government mismanagement.

The Communications Authority of Kenya has directed local media to stop all live broadcasts of the protests halfway through the day as President William Ruto warned that violence wouldn’t be tolerated.

Many turned to social media to share updates and remember slain protesters. Others posted anti-government messages and memes. On the streets, some could be seen offering protesters water.

Here’s why unrest is gripping Kenya:

Calls for accountability have grown louder in Kenya after a street hawker was killed during last week's protests. A Kenyan court has given detectives 15 days to complete investigations into two police officers suspected of the shooting.

This came as young people flooded social media platforms throughout the week with commemorations of protesters killed last year. At the time, Ruto apologized and vowed to end police brutality as the top police chief resigned.

“Not a single officer has been held to account,” said Hussein Khaled, a human rights activist, adding that people took to the streets “to demand justice in terms of compensation ... arrest of those officers who were involved ... police reforms because too many Kenyans are losing their lives” to police brutality.

Last year’s deadly protests strongly opposed a finance bill that raised taxes significantly to address debt, putting an undue burden on young, educated people struggling with unemployment and a rising cost of living. Ruto later scrapped the bill.

Some tax proposals were reintroduced later, drawing widespread criticism and calls for Ruto's resignation, following the appointment of a new but widely criticized cabinet. A revamped healthcare levy also changed standard premiums to a progressive tax, based on income.

United Nations' data shows that 70% of sub-Saharan Africa is under the age of 30, with 67% of Kenya's young people unemployed.

“Both the health and the education sectors, which greatly affect the youth, are seemingly sinking due to misguided policies and failure to provide needed resources. At the same time, there appears to be unlimited funds for ‘aristocratic’ luxuries,” said Macharia Munene, professor of History and International Relations at United States International University Africa in Nairobi, referring to some state people’s spending that has been strongly condemned.

Ruto has been accused of misappropriating taxpayer money on lavish trips, most notably the use of a private jet on his trip to the United States right before last year’s protests. He apologized and dismissed ministers accused of incompetence, corruption and displays of opulence amid complaints about the high cost of living.

Meanwhile, Kenya's opposition received its share of criticism, with many saying it avoided challenging the status quo after some of its members were appointed in Ruto's new cabinet

“Enough is enough ... We are here for change, it is time for us to get our nation (back),” said protestor Sevelina Mwihaki. “The blood that we have shed is enough."

People protest for the one-year anniversary of deadly anti-tax demonstrations in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters raise their hands up as police fire teargas at them during a demonstration on the one-year anniversary of deadly anti-tax demonstrations in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A police officer wounded during protests on the one-year anniversary of deadly anti-tax demonstrations is attended to in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 25, 20125. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga).

A Kenyan police whips a protester during a demonstration in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Police surround a demonstrator protesting on the one-year anniversary of deadly anti-tax demonstrations in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, June 25, 20125. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)