In a powerful and deeply emotional moment captured on video, 24 year old Victor Otieno, a student from Thika Institute of Business Studies, was seen smiling, chanting, and marching alongside fellow protesters on
Thika Road just hours before he was allegedly shot and killed during the June 25, 2025, anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.The footage, now widely circulated on social media, has stirred a wave of grief and outrage, turning Victor into an unwilling icon of Kenya’s Gen Z-led civil movement.
Dressed in a purple football jersey, baseball cap, and face mask, Victor can be seen energetically engaging in peaceful chants while maneuvering through the chaos of tear gas and police sirens.In one heartbreaking frame, he is seen crouching behind a road barrier as plumes of tear gas engulf the crowd.
Moments later, his lifeless body was reported among those claimed by police confrontations.
According to Juja Sub-County Police Commander Bernard Ngungu, Victor was among a group that allegedly attempted to storm the Juja Police Station.He denied that the fatal shot was fired by police.
However, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International Kenya, reported at least six civilian deaths that day, sparking fresh calls for accountability and restraint from law enforcement.Victor’s death hit especially hard among family, friends, and faculty at Thika Technical College.
A relative who identified himself as Victor’s uncle shared a moving tribute on Facebook.
“The dust has settled on me,” he wrote. “Unconfirmed reports are that he was shot in the head. He was a student with a future.” Another tribute came from Mr. Mugo Morrix, one of Victor’s lecturers, who shared, “The one shot dead is my student. He was supposed to start his final exams next week.”
Victor had been studying for a Diploma in Supply Chain Management and had dreams of joining Kenya’s logistics sector.Instead, he has now joined a growing list of young Kenyans who have paid the ultimate price for speaking out against policies they believe are unjust and oppressive.
The June 25 protests, largely organized via social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter (X), and WhatsApp, were a continuation of a nationwide Gen Z uprising that began earlier in the month in response to the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
The bill proposed steep tax hikes, sparking fears among youth that their future was being mortgaged by a detached political elite.
What started as digital activism quickly exploded into real-world demonstrations in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and other towns.In another equally heartbreaking incident, 19-year-old Shaquille Obienge from Kitengela was also fatally shot while protesting.
His father, George Obienge, emotionally recalled hearing his son’s voice during a TikTok livestream as he condemned the shooting of a fellow protester named Owino.
Hours later, his body was identified at the City Mortuary.
“When the body was brought, it was drenched in blood I had to rub the blood from his eyes to be sure it was him,” his father recounted in a Citizen TV interview.
Meanwhile, in Molo, Nakuru County, a Form 3 student was among those killed, and four others were left seriously injured in violent clashes with police.
Civil rights groups are demanding investigations, resignations, and reforms in crowd control protocols.
Victor Otieno’s name now joins those of Rex Maasai, Shaquille Obienge, and other young Kenyans whose lives have been tragically cut short in the struggle for a more just Kenya.
His last image a hopeful youth in a purple jersey standing for a cause greater than himself has etched itself in the national consciousness as a symbol of youthful resistance, heartbreak, and unfulfilled potential.
Calls for justice, transparency, and policy reform continue to grow louder.
For Victor’s family, classmates, and all the parents mourning their children, the fight is no longer just political it’s deeply personal.
