South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has sharply criticized the Kenyan Government over what it describes as “brutal repression” of peaceful demonstrators commemorating the anniversary of the deadly June 25, 2024 protests against Kenya’s controversial Finance Bill.
In a strongly worded statement issued Thursday, EFF leader Julius Malema accused President William Ruto’s administration of escalating authoritarian tactics, media censorship, and state-sponsored violence targeting young protestors demanding economic justice, accountability, and institutional reform.
“This is no longer just about a finance bill,” the EFF said. “It is about a generation standing up to state corruption, police brutality, and a government that chooses fear over democracy.”
According to figures cited by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), at least eight people were killed during Wednesday’s protests, with over 400 injured—among them journalists and law enforcement officers. The protests, largely centered in Nairobi, were reportedly met with live ammunition, rubber bullets, and widespread beatings.
The EFF condemned the use of the Communications Authority of Kenya to block live coverage of the demonstrations, calling it a “deliberate misinterpretation of the Constitution designed to control the narrative and conceal state violence.”
“President Ruto has revealed an alarming unwillingness to lead with dignity or uphold democratic values,” the party charged. “The world is watching, and Africa is watching.”
This is not the first time the EFF has targeted Kenya’s leadership. Over the past year, Malema’s party has routinely criticised what it describes as Ruto’s “neoliberal allegiance to Western institutions” and suppression of domestic dissent.
The EFF ended its statement with a call for the immediate cessation of state violence, restoration of media freedoms, and urgent democratic reforms.
