Six Hours to Walk Three Minutes? Why the Opposition Must Rethink the June 25 Procession

 

This week, a letter surfaced from Ndegwa & Ndegwa Advocates notifying the police of the opposition's intention to hold a peaceful procession on June 25, 2025, to commemorate the fallen Gen Z heroes. According to the letter, the procession will start at 10:00 a.m. from City Hall and end at 4:00 p.m. at Parliament Road—a route that, on foot, takes just under three minutes.

At first glance, the purpose appears noble. Honoring those who died during last year's unrest is both necessary and meaningful. But when you examine the timing, the location, and the current security climate, the plan starts to look less like a tribute and more like a potential flashpoint.

The proposed six-hour procession raises questions. What exactly is happening between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. along a route that spans a few hundred meters? While we understand the need for symbolic rituals—candle lighting, wreath-laying, silent reflection—these can be respectfully done in one hour, not six.

Image: Kesho - What to carry. By MR KIMM™🇰🇪 @MrKimmKE on X

Keeping crowds gathered near sensitive government buildings for that long, especially at a time of political tension, is not only impractical—it’s risky.

Let’s not forget: Kenya is on high alert.

Just days ago, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) issued a classified warning about possible terror infiltration into ongoing political protests. According to intercepted communications, radical operatives aligned with or sympathetic to Iran may attempt to blend into large gatherings to launch attacks on Western diplomatic missions, police, or civilians—a chilling possibility.

We also cannot ignore the strategic importance of Manda Bay, the U.S. AFRICOM base in Lamu. It lies within Iran's missile range and could make Kenya an easy proxy target in an expanding regional conflict.

In such an environment, a six-hour, loosely structured public procession in Nairobi’s CBD becomes more than a civil gathering—it becomes a security liability.

This is not an argument against protests. It's a call for responsibility.

The fallen Gen Z heroes deserve to be remembered—but not through events that may risk more lives or inadvertently invite chaos. If anything, scaling down the procession to a solemn, time-bound tribute would send a powerful message: that we can protest with wisdom, not just emotion.

It’s time for the opposition to show leadership, not just resistance. Adjusting the June 25 plan isn’t bowing down—it’s stepping up.

Let us mourn the fallen—but let us not endanger the living in the process.