Catholic Archbishop in Kenya Encourages “Church’s voice” amid Recent Violent Protests, Police Brutality

Nairobi, 28 June, 2025 / 5:03 PM

Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa has denounced the June 25 violent protests in Kenya and challenged Church leadership in the East African nation to be at the forefront in the fight against injustices.

In his homily during the Priestly Ordination of Deacon Isaac Omwansa at Holy Ghost Cathedral of his Metropolitan See, Archbishop Kivuva called for nonviolence and renewed Christian witnessing.

“Is the Church still relevant? I must admit, yes, the Church is still relevant,” he said during the June 28 Ordination event and underscoring the need for Church leaders to denounce injustices in Kenya added, “the Church’s voice is needed now than ever before.”

Kenya’s June 17 demonstrations were organized to demand justice after the controversial murder of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger, who had been arrested on June 7 and confirmed dead on June 8, reportedly in police custody.

The June 17 protests were reportedly characterized by police brutality, including “point blank shooting” of unarmed civilians, Boniface Kariuki, who was declared dead on June 30.

Days later, on June 25, Kenya witnessed nationwide anti-government protests to commemorate the June 2024 Gen Z-led protests against high taxation, lack of opportunities, and an unresponsive system of governance that resulted in the death of at least 60 people.

More than a dozen people were reportedly killed during the June 25 anniversary demonstrations, most of them through police brutality; more than 400 were injured and property torched, including government buildings and vehicles.

Reflecting on the recent violent protests, Archbishop Kivuva offered heartfelt condolences to victims of the violence, saying, “We are here to add our voices to those who are saying sorry to those who are hurt, sorry to those who lost their properties, and more sorry to those who lost their lives.”

“It is not okay to shoot innocent people. It is not okay to break people’s property. It is not okay to go and loot people’s property,” the Local Ordinary of Mombasa Archdiocese, who also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Social Communications Commission of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) said.

He went on to cite the ongoing global conflicts, from Gaza and Ukraine to Lebanon and across the Middle East, noting that while violence is widespread, so too is the response of the Church.

“In every country where there is a challenge, there is equally a voice of the Church coming up,” he said.

In Kenya, he recognized the courage of youth who have taken a moral stand. “Maybe there have been young people, there may be youth, like in our context here, our youth have gone ahead of us to shout and say, no, Kenya should not go like this, or should not follow this movement. We need to change our way,” Archbishop Kivuva said.

“The voice of Christ has to be amplified over and over and over again, such that we stand up and be counted,” Archbishop Kivuva said on June 28 during the Priestly Ordination of Deacon Isaac, a Kenyan-born member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp./Spiritans/Holy Ghost Fathers), who had serving been serving as a Deacon for 19 years.

Earlier on June 24, KCCB members directed that Holy Mass on June 29 be offered countrywide in honor of Kenyan youths, who have lost their lives in extrajudicial killings.

“The young people deserve listening and support, not suppression,” KCCB members said in a collective statement, in which they also cautioned the government against denying police brutality on innocent Kenyans, including peaceful protesters.

Kenya’s Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN) realized a three-day “marathon of Rosaries”, interceding for respect of human life in the East African nation.