Nairobi, June 11- The Kenyan government has dismissed appeals from opposition leaders seeking to have June 25 officially declared a public holiday in memory of young protesters who lost their lives during the 2024 anti-government demonstrations.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka have urged Kenyans to skip work on that day as a symbolic act of remembrance. They are pushing for the date to be recognised as a national day of mourning for the Gen Z demonstrators who died during the June 25 protests.
However, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has made it clear that June 25 will not be observed as a holiday. He encouraged citizens to continue with their normal work routines and economic activities.
Speaking during the Sema na Spox public engagement forum on Tuesday evening, Mwaura described the opposition-led calls as politically charged and unproductive.
“There is no public holiday on June 25. If that day falls on a weekday, it remains a regular working day,” Mwaura stated.
He went on to argue that declaring the day a holiday would amount to glorifying a national tragedy and claimed that opposition figures were using the issue to gain political mileage.
“Some people are trying to revive the Gen Z protests for political purposes. We believe it’s time for the country to move on,” he added.
Kalonzo, one of the most vocal proponents of the proposed holiday, has referred to June 25 as a “liberation day” that should be used to honour the youth who died while speaking out against injustice, corruption, and state repression.
“I want to make a serious proposal—to honour the young Kenyans who died, many of them on June 25, which I call J25. If young people approve, we will declare it a public holiday,” Kalonzo said.
The date marks one of the most intense days of the 2024 protests against the Finance Bill. On that day, thousands of young demonstrators stormed Parliament as MPs debated the controversial legislation, resulting in violent confrontations with law enforcement.
