As tear gas chokes Nairobi’s streets and live bullets are reportedly used on unarmed Gen Z protesters, many Kenyans have been asking a simple but urgent question: Where is President William Ruto?
This afternoon, that question was answered. Rather than addressing the nation or meeting with security chiefs in the capital, President Ruto was spotted in Kilifi, attending the funeral of Governor Gideon Mung’aro’s father, alongside former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
At 2:29 PM, State House sources and media confirmed that Ruto and Raila were together in Kilifi, far from the crisis unfolding in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Thika, and other cities where thousands of Kenyans, mostly youth, have poured into the streets in remembrance of those killed during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests.
📰 Also Read This:
Their joint appearance at the funeral has sparked public outcry, not for unity, but for appearing tone-deaf and absent during a national emergency.
As the President attended a coastal funeral, the following was unfolding across the country:
Protesters shot in the CBD, with several rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital
A police officer injured and also hospitalized
Protesters and police clashing near Bank of India in the CBD
Thika Superhighway flooded by demonstrators, police forced to retreat
Water cannons and tear gas used against peaceful crowds
Parliament adjourned early, with MPs fleeing precincts over security concerns
And most explosively, a media blackout order from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK)
The CAK cited constitutional clauses to justify a ban on live TV and radio coverage, sparking fears that the government is preparing for off-camera brutality, including the use of live ammunition.
Despite the order, Standard Group PLC publicly vowed to continue live coverage and announced it is consulting lawyers to determine the legality of the CAK directive.
This defiance has been hailed by activists and citizens alike as a stand for press freedom, even as others warn that the move may provoke regulatory retaliation.
With traditional broadcasters under threat, Kenyans have taken to X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and WhatsApp to share unfiltered footage and updates. Hashtags like #LiveBullets and #RejectMediaBlackout are trending nationally, with netizens accusing the state of using censorship to hide human rights violations.
“As young people bleed in the streets, the President is at a funeral?” One user wrote, echoing a sentiment now shared by thousands.
While some defend Ruto’s appearance in Kilifi as “prioritized duty,” critics say this was a moment that demanded national leadership, not ceremonial presence.
By failing to address the protests, the shooting reports, or the controversial CAK order, Ruto risks further alienating a generation already disillusioned with politics. The symbolism of standing alongside Raila Odinga at a funeral while the youth protest deaths from the previous year’s movement is not lost on Kenyans, nor on the world.
The June 25 anniversary protests were never going to be just symbolic. They represent pain, memory, resistance, and now, a call for democratic accountability.
As live bullets rain, the absence of the President from the crisis, both physically and rhetorically, is being read as more than poor optics, it is being seen as a refusal to lead in a moment of national reckoning.
🔴 LIVE UPDATES: Nairobi Erupts in Protest to Honour Fallen Gen Zs : June 25, 2025. Video
Live Bullets and Media Blackout: Why the Kenyan Government is Silencing Protest Coverage
Kenya Media Regulator Bans Live Coverage of June 25 Protests, Citing Constitutional Breach
