Wamuzi News KeSouth Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by firebrand Julius Malema, delivered a searing rebuke to President William Ruto’s administration today.
In a forceful statement released on June 25, the party denounced what it called the “brutal repression of peaceful protesters” and escalating media censorship during nationwide demonstrations in Kenya.
Marking the first anniversary of the June 25, 2024 Gen Z protests—initially triggered by opposition to an unpopular Finance Bill—the demonstrations have reignited public anger.
Malema’s party expressed “full solidarity with the youth of Kenya,” accusing the government of deploying live ammunition, deploying military forces, and shutting down independent media to silence dissent .
Live Bullets, Media Blackout, and Rising Death Toll.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, “at least eight people have been killed in today’s protests alone,” with over 400 injured—many struck by live or rubber bullets or subjected to beatings, mostly in Nairobi .
The Communications Authority’s directive to ban live broadcasts from media houses like KTN and NTV drew sharp criticism from EFF, which branded it “a deliberate misreading of the Constitution” aimed at “controlling the narrative, hiding its crimes, and ruling by fear.”
Though the High Court later temporarily stayed the broadcast ban, EFF maintains that the move revealed the administration’s true intentions .A Repressive Government, Say Malema and EFFMalema’s statement escalated the rhetoric, accusing Ruto’s government of authoritarian overreach.
“President Ruto has unleashed state-sponsored violence and censorship,” it read. The party called on Kenyan authorities to halt the violent suppression of demonstrators, withdraw military presence, restore press freedom, and hold perpetrators of brutality to account .
International Solidarity and Regional Implications.
This is not the first time Malema has cast his gaze on Kenya—during the anti-Finance Bill protests in June 2024, he issued nearly identical warnings and backed citizen protests against IMF and World Bank–inspired austerity .
The EFF’s vocal international condemnation adds to growing pressure from both local and global rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Katiba Institute, as well as diplomatic commentary from Western embassies urging restraint .
