The Former police spokesperson, Charles Owino, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the police response to the June 25 protests, saying the demonstrations were not peaceful and accusing some protestors of being armed and violent.
His comments come amid intense scrutiny of the police response to the protests, where at least nine people are reported to have died, according to civil society groups. Investigations are underway, with rights organisations demanding accountability from the state and transparency in how force was used.
Speaking during an interview on a local TV station on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Owino dismissed claims that police used excessive force against unarmed civilians. Instead, he argued that some demonstrators provoked law enforcement and engaged in criminal acts, including attacking officers and looting businesses.
“Let us face reality. If, for example, you beat a policeman the way I saw, and somebody who has no intentions to fight with you, you beat a policewoman, you beat a policeman and he’s armed — you are asking this policeman to kill you. That’s what you are doing,” Owino said.
Owino, a long-time advocate of police professionalism, expressed concern over what he described as attempts to radicalise young people and push them into violent confrontations under the guise of civic protest.
“We have people in this country that would want to radicalise our children, our girls, for their interests,” he said.
“I would not be happy to see my child killed in the street because I can’t control them. They’re adults. They make their own choices. But I would not want my child to kill either.”
Tame violence
Owino further warned against glorifying what he called standard radicalisation, cautioning that violence only undermines the goals of peaceful protest.
“Some of these demonstrations I will not want my child to kill,” he said, noting that once protests turn violent, even fatal outcomes become tragically possible.
The Wednesday, June 25, 2025, protests, organised largely by youth under the Gen Z movement, were held across the country to commemorate the victims of anti- Finance Bill 2024.
He said that while many demonstrations were peaceful, isolated incidents of looting, arson, and clashes with police were reported, particularly in Nairobi, Nakuru, and parts of the Mt. Kenya region.
Citing these events, Owino said Kenyans must stop blaming the police and instead hold themselves accountable for following the law.
“You are going to rob a supermarket. You are going to burn a court. If you look at those circumstances, even if there will be an inquest into the cause of death, there will be justification,” he said.
However, he also acknowledged that the government cannot justify the loss of innocent lives, stressing the need for lawful conduct on both sides.
“The government has a responsibility to protect everyone, and it is not the government’s duty to justify any death. Every death is wrong,” he said.
Owino appealed for calm, urging both the public and state agencies to respect the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest — but within legal bounds.
“Let us not radicalize. Teach our youth that there is a proper way of carrying out demonstrations so that we do not promote a standard of radicalisation,” he warned.
