IN SHORT: A video posted on TikTok in late June 2025 shows Kenya’s former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua urging young people to call off the nationwide protests. However, the clip is from July 2024 and refers to demonstrations at that time.
A one-minute TikTok video posted on 20 June 2025 has the caption: “Message is clear from Gachagua. No maandamano.”
Maandamano is the Kiswahili word for demonstrations.
The video shows Kenya’s former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua at a podium, where he is seemingly referring to Gen Z protesters. In the clip, he urges them to end demonstrations to prevent criminals from hijacking them to loot and cause chaos.
He says the president has already agreed to hear their concerns. Framing his appeal as a parent speaking to his children, he repeatedly appeals for peace.
The video has drawn over 8,800 views and hundreds of likes.
Background
In June 2024, Kenya witnessed large youth-led protests, popularly known as the Gen Z protests, against that year’s proposed finance bill.
At the time, Gachagua was deputy president. The most dramatic protest was on 25 June, when demonstrators stormed parliament, with several people shot dead outside.
Following the unrest, Gachagua criticised the government's response, blaming the National Intelligence Service for failing to alert the president to the depth of public anger.
He urged the young people to halt further protests, saying the president had already listened by withdrawing the controversial bill.
Later, some of Gachagua’s allies were accused of backing the protests and faced formal charges. But the cases have faced legal challenges, including that they are politically motivated. Gachagua denied any role in the protests but voiced support for the Gen Z cause.
In October, Gachagua was impeached and removed from office. Since then, he has joined the opposition and emerged as one of Ruto’s fiercest critics.
Ahead of the first anniversary of the 2024 protests, new demonstrations were planned for 25 June 2025, fuelled in part by public anger over recent police killings of youths.
It was during this build-up that the TikTok video resurfaced, appearing to show that Gachagua was once again urging young people to stand down.
But is that what the video really shows?
Video is from July 2024
A keyword search for phrases such as “Gachagua urges youth to call off protests” shows that the clip is from a speech he delivered in Laikipia county on 3 July 2024, during the burial of his sister, Wangari Muriuki.
The TikTok video is a one-minute excerpt from that speech.
At the time, Gachagua was addressing the 2024 protests, urging young people to stand down to avoid chaos. There is no record of him making similar remarks in June 2025.
The video is genuine but has been shared out of context. It was filmed in July 2024, not 2025. The claim that it shows a recent speech is false.
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