{"id":160814,"date":"2026-04-22T15:46:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kalonzo-calls-for-national-holiday-protest-on-june-25"},"modified":"2026-04-22T16:44:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:44:44","slug":"kalonzo-calls-for-national-holiday-protest-on-june-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/kalonzo-calls-for-national-holiday-protest-on-june-25","title":{"rendered":"Kalonzo Calls for National Holiday Protest on June 25"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Kenya. <\/strong> <\/span>Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has said June 25 will be marked as a national holiday by the opposition, announcing plans for what he termed the \u201cmother of all demonstrations\u201d to honour victims of last year\u2019s anti-Finance Bill protests.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the Komboa Kenya tour in Kitui West, Kalonzo said the date would be set aside to commemorate young Kenyans who lost their lives during protests outside Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe mother of all demonstrations will be on June 25, to mark the day we lost our children at Parliament during the protests against the Finance Bill,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He described the events of that day as painful, recalling how families were forced to search for and identify their loved ones in mortuaries following the unrest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur children were killed by snipers, and we had to go to the mortuary to identify them. It was a very bad and hard time,\u201d Kalonzo said.<\/p>\n<p>In a bold declaration, the opposition leader said that he and his allies would treat the day as a national holiday, despite not being in government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn that day, together with my colleagues in the alternative government, we will mark it as a public holiday to remember how Kenyan youth shed blood for nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Kalonzo framed the planned demonstrations as a memorial and a political statement, accusing the government of failing to listen to citizens who opposed the Finance Bill.<\/p>\n<p>The June 25 protests refer to last year\u2019s youth-led demonstrations that drew thousands to the streets, culminating in clashes with security forces near Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>The events have since become a rallying point for opposition leaders seeking to mobilise support around governance and economic concerns.<\/p>\n<p>However, Kalonzo\u2019s declaration that the day will be marked as a national holiday raises legal questions, as the authority to gazette public holidays lies with the national government.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, the opposition appears intent on using the date symbolically to galvanise supporters and sustain momentum from last year\u2019s protests.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement came as Kalonzo, alongside other opposition figures, kicked off the Komboa Kenya tour in Kitui county, aimed at consolidating grassroots support ahead of the 2027 general election.<\/p>\n<p>In a message shared after rallies in Tulia and Katutu areas of Mwingi West constituency, Kalonzo thanked residents for what he described as a strong show of support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour voices are clear, your resolve is firm, and your hope for a better Kenya is alive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He reiterated the opposition\u2019s position as a \u201cgovernment-in-waiting\u201d, pledging to push for accountability, economic justice and leadership that reflects the will of the people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the United Alternative Government-in-Waiting, we stand with you in the pursuit of accountable leadership and a government that truly serves its people,\u201d the Wiper leader said.<\/p>\n<p>The Komboa Kenya tour is expected to continue across several counties, with opposition leaders seeking to tap into growing public discontent and position themselves as a viable alternative ahead of the next election cycle.<\/p>\n<p>The planned June 25 demonstrations could emerge as a defining political moment, particularly if they draw significant participation from the youth, who played a central role in last year\u2019s protests.<\/p>\n<p>While the declaration of a \u201cnational holiday\u201d by the opposition may not carry legal weight, it signals an escalation in political messaging as rival camps intensify mobilisation efforts across the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Kenya<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Kenya. Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has said June 25 will be marked as a national holiday by the opposition, announcing plans for what he termed the \u201cmother of all demonstrations\u201d to honour victims of last year\u2019s anti-Finance Bill protests. Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the Komboa Kenya tour in Kitui West, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":160813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,10,7204],"tags":[544],"class_list":["post-160814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-parties","category-to-homepage","tag-kenya"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kalonzo Calls for National Holiday Protest on June 25 - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag&quot;&gt; Africa-Press - Kenya. 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