Too little too late, say parents of youth killed in 2024 protests
National
By
Erastus Mulwa
| Jun 25, 2026
As the country anxiously stares at commemorations of June 2024 anniversary to remember dozens of Kenyan youths killed or injured during anti-government protests, families that were affected have spoken out on the elusive search for justice.
The family of the first casualty of the June 2024 protests, Rex Masai, who died following a shooting by the police, has accused the government of being insensitive to the families whose kin were killed or maimed in the confrontations.
In an interview with The Standard yesterday, Rex’s mother, Giliam Munyao, expressed disappointment at the government, accusing it of dragging its feet in compensating the victims and failure to set up a structured mechanism of negotiating with the affected families.
Recounting the painful loss of her firstborn son who had secured a job opportunity in the United Kingdom before he was killed, Munyao also scoffed at the compensatory rate of Sh3 million for deaths, terming it a big joke and casual appropriation of human worth.
“No amount can be worth human life. But the recent announcement by the government that it will compensate Sh3 million for deaths is shocking. They should just call it a consolation token not compensation,” she told The Standard over the phone yesterday.
According to Rex’s mother, the government had demonstrated contempt for human life by failing to engage the affected families through an open and structured manner.
“I am not satisfied at all by the government’s approach. It’s like they are telling us to take the money and shut up. With Sh3 million, what will I invest in to enable me to bring up Rex’s two siblings after my life was shattered by his death?” she posed.
Similar sentiments were shared by Caroline Mutisya, the mother of Erickson Kyalo, who was shot dead by the police.
“That is not compensation. What we need most is justice and accountability. The government should even express genuine remorse over what happened under its watch,” said Caroline.
She said she was concerned about today’s threats of attacks by goons during the planned laying of wreaths to pay tribute to those who were killed in the demonstrations.
“We have received threats against participating in the commemoration exercise and we wonder what the intention of the government is,” she said.