‘You can’t kill us all…’ Resilient Kenyans vow to keep protesting in the face of death by state actors

As the chances of individual survival continue looking bleak, especially after the brutal murder of Albert Ojwang, and the cold-blooded shooting of hawker Boniface Kariuki in the middle of city and the full glare of media, Kenyans have refused to surrender to the intimidatory tactics of the State, confronting their mortality with ironclad valor and unprecedented gallantry.

Their mantra goes: "You can't kill us all!"

From Ronald Ngala Street to Moi Avenue, Biashara Street to Luthuli Avenue, thousands of young Kenyans have been dominating the streets, in their sheer numbers, valiantly and fearlessly, facing death, brutality and ruthlessness, but still ready to bear a beating or a gunshot, all for the sake of a better Kenya.

Despite the fact that the Kenyan police shot and killed over 100 Gen Zs, during the nationwide anti-Finance Bill protests last year, more and more Kenyans have continued to walk right up to the face of the officers, look them right in the eye and dared them to harm them too, convinced that a State cannot possibly wipe off thousands of demonstrators, whose only crime was to chant, wave a flag, raise a placard and blow a whistle.

A week ago, hundreds of fearless activists poured right outside the Central Police Station, where Albert Ojwang was initially booked before being brutally tortured to death, blasting the police officers right in their faces, lecturing them in no uncertain terms and subjecting them to a strenuous afternoon peppered with loud clashes, defiant chants and menacing scowls.

"You can't kill us all!" an unidentified female protester, clad in all black, snapped at a grim-faced officer.

On June 12, as thousands took over the streets calling for the arrest and prosecution of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, a remarkable scene played out right in the streets - with their guns held high and the batons pointed menacingly, a popular activist lunged at a masked officer, repeatedly attempted to drag off his mask as his fellow officers attempted to restrain her, utterly stunned by the stark display of raw confidence and spirited courage.

In so doing, the activist, not a newbie to street theatrics, obviously knew that the last thing the police would do is shoot her and, armed with that realisation, she sought to emasculate the uniformed men by downplaying their perceived viciousness and goading them into turning her into yet another statistic; yet another X hashtag, and yet another grieving family.

"They cannot kill us all!" Joseph Nzioka said on X. "You can kill a few of us, but you cannot possibly kill all of us. They don't have enough bullets for the millions of Kenyans who are in the streets."

Writer and filmmaker Mwende Ngao wrote, "We cannot and will not normalise the murder of Kenyans. This casual taking of lives on the whims of state machinery will not be accepted as some kind of inevitability and the status quo. Every Kenyan life is precious and must be respected and protected."

This firm resolve has buoyed Kenyans into planning more protests and creating as much noise as possible. Already, there is a mass protest slated for June 25, which will be the first anniversary of the 2024 Gen Z storm of Parliament and daring charge at legislators on a day that quickly went into the Kenyan history books.

"We are going to march for Albert Ojwang, Rex Masai, Eric Shieni and the hundreds of other young men and women killed by the police for merely standing up for their rights," Ivy Waringa wrote on X. "When we lose our fear, they lose their power!"