Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale through his X account on Sunday June 29th 2025 has strongly condemned the violence and destruction witnessed during the June 25, 2025 protests, accusing demonstrators of abusing constitutional rights.
Duale’s remarks add to criticism from government officials who have accused Gen Z, the opposition, and activists of enabling looting and destroying the property of Kenyans in the guise conducting peaceful protests.
“What was to be a day of ‘peaceful’ protests this last Wednesday left behind a trail of destruction of property and was characterized by chaos and violence,” Duale said.
Duale criticized what he described as the misuse of the constitutional right to protest under Article 37, saying that demonstrators cannot use freedom of assembly as a shield to infringe on others’ rights.
“Whereas the Constitution guarantees the right to demonstrate and sets the parameters within which this right is to be exercised, this is no excuse to take away the fundamental rights of others as guaranteed by the same Constitution,” he said.
The CS cited incidents of looting and violence, condemning them as acts of lawlessness masked as civic action.
“One cannot hide behind the right to demonstrate while taking away the right to property of others by looting, raping our women, and destroying property of other Kenyans,” he stated, “One cannot hide behind the right to demonstrate and cause chaos and use violence on innocent and hardworking Kenyans.”
Duale further warned against efforts to delegitimize the current administration through civil unrest.
“One cannot hide behind the right to demonstrate and purport to want to wish away a constitutionally established government,” he said.
He was particularly scathing about the events of June 25, calling them a violation of the Constitution’s intent.
“The protests on Wednesday certainly crossed the red line and were nothing of what the Constitution envisages under Article 37 which is the right, peaceably and unarmed, to demonstrate. Yes, police must exercise restraint, but the law must also protect lives and property,” he said.
The CS called for swift action against those responsible.“The relevant authorities must therefore swiftly bring to book anyone who participated in causing chaos and violence, looting of shops, and taking away the hard-earned money of Kenyans. The perpetrators must face the law — the red line was crossed!” Duale emphasized.
He warned political actors attempting to use demonstrations to push narrow agendas.
“The Constitution is binding on all of us, and none has the right to advance selfish political interests camouflaged behind the right to demonstrate. This should never be allowed. We are one country under God and governed by our Constitution. Anyone who thinks otherwise must be held accountable and face the law,” he asserted.
