In the Name of June 25th By Billy Mijungu As the calendar inches closer to June 25th, the tension in the air thickens. In the minds of the Gen Z generation, this is no ordinary date. It has become a symbolic day, born out of defiance, molded in sacrifice, and nurtured by memory. A day that once witnessed horror, blood, bravery, and resistance. A day that has now carved itself into the nation’s political calendar and perhaps, its future. The events of June 25th 2024 were more than just youthful protest. They were a reckoning. The horror scenes of that day, youth flooding the streets, facing off with police, some falling, some never making it home, continue to haunt the national psyche. It was a day that shook the foundations of the establishment and for the Gen Zs who emerged from it more defiant and more united, it is nothing short of a national awakening. Now a year later, the specter of that day looms again. There is a possibility, not yet confirmed but dangerously likely, that June 25th could become an annual expression of youthful resolve. A national ritual. If that happens, it will be the single most dangerous political inheritance for any sitting head of state. Because the traditional Kenyan voter has often been moved by tribe, region, or promise, the Gen Z voter is moved by memory. A memory that has pain at its core and truth as its battle cry. In 2025, any slight success in how this day is marked or mishandled will have a snowball effect. By 2027, it will not just be an annual protest, it will be an electoral movement. If Gen Zs gather again this June and manage to turn grief into powerful peaceful presence, then come June 25th 2027, just six weeks to the General Election, their gatherings will not only remember the fallen but also mobilize the living to the ballot. And with the numbers they carry, they can shape elections forever. That is why this year’s response matters. Taming June 25th is not a policing matter. It is a leadership matter. It is a listening matter. The more the state treats this day with suspicion, the more suspicious the day becomes. The more force is applied, the more the memory burns deeper into the resolve of the youth. Violence is not the answer, it never was. The state must treat this June 25th with the wisdom it showed during the January 30th 2018 swearing in of Raila Odinga as the People’s President. That day could have exploded into chaos but the state chose tolerance, optics, and quiet pressure. There were no mass arrests, no rubber bullets, no teargas clouds suffocating dreams. Instead, the moment passed peacefully. That is the script Kenya needs again. Let the police keep it mellow. Let them be present but not aggressive. Let them watch, not provoke. Let the state listen, not shout. This is not a war. This is a generation trying to write its chapter in the book of Kenya. And if history teaches us anything, it is that no amount of force can erase the ink of collective memory. In the name of June 25th, let us reflect. Let us mourn. Let us remember. But above all, let us lead with wisdom. Because the youth are not asking to burn the nation, they are asking to shape it. And if that scares those in power, perhaps it is time they reexamined their definition of leadership. The countdown to June 25th has begun. What the nation does or fails to do on that day will echo not just in the streets but in the polling stations of 2027. And the horror movie some fear could very well become a redemption story. Or a reckoning. The choice is ours. Follow Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn @BillyMijungu #forward #tusongembele