Youth leader Kasmuel McOure has issued a message to Gen Zs ahead of the much anticipated June 25th protests.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 24, McOure reflected on the events of the previous year where peaceful demonstrations were met with excessive force by police officers.
"Last year, around this time, I was getting ready for the most consequential protest I’ve ever been part of. We achieved all we set out to do peacefully but the police responded with brutal force and claimed many of our own.
"It’s a wound that will never fully heal, and we must never forget the brutality Kenyan youth have suffered at the hands of those meant to protect us," he said.
With Wednesday, June 25, approaching, McOure has rallied the younger generation to show up for the protests, further affirming his support.
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"A year later, I still sing this anthem, the same one we sang together in the streets, in solidarity with every young person marching or protesting tomorrow.
"Though I am thousands of kilometres away, I stand in solidarity with you. To the families who lost loved ones, my heart is with you. To Kenya, our motherland, we shall surely liberate you," he added.
McOure was among young Kenyans who were in the frontline during the anti-Finance Bill demonstrations in 2024.
However, months after the protests, he sparked outrage after meeting with ODM leader Raila Odinga at his Capitol Hill Office.
Responding to the backlash, McOure, in a statement on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, described his meeting with Raila as a proud moment, adding that the decision to meet the former Prime Minister was intentional.
"This was no secret. It is a moment that I'm proud of and own fully. It was a deliberate decision, shaped by a Kenyan reality I've sought your guidance on multiple times without receiving clear answers.
"You can accuse me of many things, but not of lacking transparency; on my concerns about the movement, certain individuals within it, or my process of consultation," he said
McOure noted that he sought Raila for mentorship and guidance to help him achieve the societal change that he is pursuing.
"In my careful analysis of the country’s current state, after bravely pursuing various strategies despite insults and surface-level support, I’ve found that learning from The Honourable Raila Odinga offers one of the most realistic paths to achieving the change I’m after," he added.
