KENYA: ‘STATE-HIRED’ THUGS WITH WHIPS STORM PROTEST

A violent mob of thugs wielding whips and batons, with some riding motorbikes, disrupted a peaceful protest in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday (17 June). People were out demanding justice for slain Kenyan blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who was recently killed while in police custody. Allegations are flying that the hooligans who turned up were actually there doing the state’s bidding - something confirmed by video emerging from the day.

Ojwang’s death has renewed nationwide outrage over police brutality and lack of accountability. Extrajudicial killings have become increasingly common in Kenya, with the public understandably upset and angry. Yet rather than address the issue with urgent reforms, it appears the authorities are instead encouraging violence against peaceful protesters as a means of stifling dissent.

When Kenya gained independence from the British Empire in 1963, like many other African countries, it did not reform its institutions away from colonial models. The colonial model of policing has remained largely intact, preserving its structures and practices designed to control the masses to ensure continued profits. 

Initially established by the British colonial administration in 1907, the police force was tasked with protecting colonial interests and suppressing resistance. Senior roles were reserved for British and Indian officers, while Africans held lower ranks. Then, as now, the force was used by European settlers to control Africans in the interests of capitalist exploitation, even as the officers themselves were oppressed.

Continued……. Today, the difference is that the police protect the interests of a ruling class that looks like them but does not serve their interests. The police officer in Kenya has more in common with the marginalised masses he brutalises than the elites he serves, but he has chosen a side.

Before colonialism, policing in Kenya was community-based and informal, relying on elders and customary law to maintain social harmony. Justice was restorative rather than punitive. Today, Kenya’s security apparatus operates with the same impunity and brutality as the colonial forces, employing militarised policing, arbitrary arrests, excessive force, extrajudicial k*llings, and collusion with local elites to suppress dissent. Justice remains elusive, with accountability almost absent, even when abuse of power is evident. However, the security forces are merely a reflection of an exploitative system borrowed from the imperial playbook.

Image credit: Evans Habil/The Nation

Sources

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kenya-police-service-colonial-roots-modern-challenges-makori

https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/items/28491421-ae7f-4520-90bc-a220554c225b

https://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/programs/aj/police/ea/articles/draft_strategic_plan_2003-07.pdf

https://www.globalscientificjournal.com/researchpaper/Colonial_economy_transitional_crime_and_the_police_force_in_colonial_Kenya_1887_1963_.pdf

http://ir.jooust.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/14046/Masakae_%20History%20of%20Police%20Reforms%20in%20Kenya,%201885%20-%202022.pdf

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2010.517421

https://www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781526123695/9781526123695.00020.xml

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/society/kenya-police-service-and-the-root-of-public-mistrust-2225994

https://www.theelephant.info/analysis/2023/03/11/kenya-and-its-unreformable-police-force/?tztc=1

POLICE SHOOT KENYAN CIVILIAN DURING PROTESTS

On 17 June, Kenyans flooded the streets of Nairobi, demanding justice for Albert Ojwang, a blogger and educator who died in police custody. 

Instead of getting answers on what happened to Ojwang, the demonstrators faced police violence. 

A bystander captured officers assaulting and shooting at close range a vendor selling face masks. The injured vendor, Boniface Kariuki, is in critical condition at Kenyatta National Hospital. Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga told news outlets that the officer responsible for the shooting has been arrested, but no additional details have been shared. 

Police brutality is widespread in Kenya, with 159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances just in 2024, according to Kenyan advocacy group Missing Voices.

Continued….. This issue is not new but reflects lingering colonial policing practices in a post-independence African state in a system designed to control to ensure profits. The badge may have changed, but the brutality remains about the same.

Kenyans are demanding an end to the culture of impunity for state-sponsored violence. Will this new wave of protests yield results? Let us know in the comments.

Video/image credits: @bonifacemwangi , @InsecurityKe , @CapitalFMKenya, @prelimgerarchives1968

TREVOR NOAH CELEBRATES NIGERIANS

When Nigeria is mentioned, many people tend to echo the tired negative stereotypes that mainstream media portrays about its 237 million people, such as corruption and credit card fraud, rarely pausing to acknowledge the structural forces behind these crises or the brilliance that persists despite them.

In a March 2025 podcast, South African comedian and commentator Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah on X) commended the resilience and self-confidence of Nigerians, stating that they have motivated him to believe in himself. 

Noah's comments highlight a deeper truth: In a country wracked by neo-colonial governance, foreign economic manipulation and elite misrule that causes economic instability, Nigerians are continually launching new businesses, showcasing remarkable adaptability and innovative solutions. Nollywood, as the country's booming film industry is known, ranks as the second-largest film industry by output, just behind India's Bollywood.

Continued………. Nigerians have also made significant contributions to education, sports and business. A recent highlight includes 30-year-old chess player Tunde Onakoya (@tunde_onakoya on IG), who set a Guinness World Record for a 60-hour chess marathon in 2024, breaking the previous record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds. He returned in 2025 to set another record: 64 hours.

We join Noah in honouring everyday Nigerians who persevere despite facing the most severe economic downturn in a generation and long-standing neo-colonial governance that feeds the imperialists.

Video credit: @WhatNowPodcast (YouTube)

Sources

https://www.cfr.org/blog/anxiety-grows-over-election-rigging-nigeria

https://voicesofafrica.co.za/african-stereotypes-were-tired-of-hearing/

https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2021/04/12/the-failure-of-governance-in-nigeria-an-epistocratic-challenge/

https://businessday.ng/news/article/resilient-nigerians-defy-tough-times-with-stunning-creativity/

https://www.ece.org/Blogs/Studying-in-the-United-States-from-Nigeria.htm#:~:text=Nigerians%20are%20one%20of%20the,and%20success%20in%20various%20professional

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/10/nigerians-in-russia-law-abiding-contributing-to-economy-ambassador/

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1366643/nigeria-may-be-flawed-but-it-should-not-be-de.html

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/20/africa/nigerian-chess-champion-breaks-world-record-for-longest-chess-marathon-intl

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68402662

https://www.bu.edu/com/articles/nollywood-the-next-big-thing/

YOUTH CALL ON TRAORÉ TO BAN THE WEST

Around the world, Pan-Africanists and anti-imperialists have been on high alert about the safety of Burkina Faso's 37-year-old president, Ibrahim Traoré. On 30 April 2025, worldwide mobilisations broke out, calling for the protection of Traoré and Burkina Faso's revolutionary process. These solidarity actions came following disparaging comments that US Africa Command (AFRICOM) head General Michael Langley made on 3 April that Traoré was using reclaimed gold to protect a ‘junta regime.’ 

Many on the continent and in the diaspora are worried that Traoré is being targeted for regime change, especially after the government foiled a destabilisation attempt planned for 16 April. 

More recently, on 28 May, a US delegation arrived in Burkina Faso to meet Traoré. However, they only got to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré as they attempted to turn a new page with the West African country.

Continued…….. Many Africans worldwide remain on high alert and do not buy the sincerity of what appears to be a US apology tour. In this video, TikTok user The Best Copywriter (@eminadoe_666 on TikTok) urges Traoré and the other Sahelian leaders to permanently ban Western officials from entering their countries and to sever all trade ties and collaboration with France and the United States.

Video credit: @eminadoe_666 (TikTok)

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJxXZneKick

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/04/30/hands-off-aes-solidarity-protests-sweep-west-africa-in-defense-of-burkina-faso-and-captain-traore/

https://www.rtb.bf/2025/04/21/communique-tentative-de-destabilisation-du-burkina-faso/

https://www.aib.media/burkina-faso-etats-unis-le-president-trump-depeche-un-emissaire-a-ouagadougou/

WHAT DOES DRC-U.S. MINERAL DEAL MEAN FOR CONGOLESE?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has proposed a deal seeking to exchange Congolese minerals for US military support against the Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebel group M23. The DRC President Felix Tshisekedi reportedly reached out to US President Donald Trump to broker this exchange despite the US already having been involved in the DRC’s ‘security’ through military training and election support for years.

Continued……. Kambale Musavuli (@kambalem on IG), a political analyst at the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa, questions the deal’s transparency and fairness, saying it involves nearly one-tenth of the DRC’s estimated $24 trillion in mineral wealth. Unlike the $9 billion Chinese deal in the DRC, which Western media have widely criticised, this US deal—much larger than the Chinese one—has received relatively little scrutiny. There’s also concern that it ignores the role of US allies Rwanda and Uganda in fueling the conflict, raising fears that the deal may repeat past patterns of exploitation without addressing the root causes of instability.

Watch the whole conversation on Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo’s YouTube channel (@ahmedkaballo4170).

Sources
https://www.mining-technology.com/news/congo-exclusive-minerals-deal-us/

https://cd.usembassy.gov/the-united-states-provides-additional-assistance-for-the-2023-election-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo

https://www.stateoig.gov/uploads/report/report_pdf_file/isp-i-09-36a_1.pdf

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-cobalt-mine-deal-injustice-093000566.html

https://theexchange.africa/investing/drcs-mineral-wealth

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/9/un-court-orders-uganda-to-pay-325m-in-reparations-to-dr-congo

`AFRICAN STREAM ON THE GROUND AS ‘STATE’ THUGS ATTACK KENYAN PROTESTERS

As thugs on motorbikes - allegedly working for the police - attacked protesters in Nairobi on Tuesday, 17 June, 2025, African Stream’s William Sakawa was in the thick of it, getting reaction from those who’d turned up to demand justice. A peaceful rally had been organised in response to the death-in-police-custody of a teacher and blogger who found himself behind bars for allegedly mocking a police official online. His body, according to an autopsy, showed signs of torture. Protesters were first met with police tear gas. Then they were met by a mob of hooligans wielding sticks and whips whom the police did little to restrain. It’s widely thought they were goons in cahoots with the authorities.

Continued……. The mounting unrest harks back to the violent police crackdown in 2024, when huge, Gen Z-led protests against IMF-pushed tax hikes swept Kenya. It’s thought some 60 people were killed in those. Young Kenyans have had enough and aren’t afraid to stand up for their rights. In this video, filmed on the ground amid Tuesday’s unrest, we meet some of them.

Today is Juneteenth (19 June), also known as Emancipation Day, which commemorates the arrival of US troops in Galveston, Texas, to declare the abolition of slavery over two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on 1 January 1863.

The document liberated at least 3.5 million enslaved individuals in Confederate states during the US Civil War (1861-65). Initially, Lincoln aimed to free enslaved Africans to bolster the US military, but his focus shifted to preserving the Union (the northern states), which ultimately meant ending slavery.

Many enslavers sought refuge in seceded Texas with their enslaved individuals, viewing it as a sanctuary for slavery. Ironically, Texas was part of Mexico’s territory. However, once Mexico abolished slavery in 1829, enslavers fought to be part of the United States to keep their slavery-based plantations intact.

Continued…….. Once Black people began reviving local Juneteenth celebrations in the late 20th century, US President Joe Biden established it as a federal holiday in 2021.

Sadly, freedom did not come with reparations or equality. Today, descendants of enslaved Africans continue to face physical and mental health issues, such as high blood pressure and kidney disease. Black households hold 10 times less wealth than white households, while Black men are four times more likely to be incarcerated than white men.

Could Juneteenth celebrations becoming popular renew the call for reparations?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Sources

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/juneteenth-name-origin-story-behind-holiday-noscript/

https://www.history.com/articles/emancipation-proclamation

https://www.loc.gov/collections/abraham-lincoln-papers/articles-and-essays/abraham-lincoln-and-emancipation/

https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/campfire-stories/african-americans

https://www.thn.org/2021/06/18/juneteenth2021/

https://www.vox.com/2020/6/18/21294825/history-of-juneteenth

https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/one-in-five-ending-racial-inequity-in-incarceration/

https://www.theneighborhoodacademy.org/editoruploads/files/Sledge%2C%20Aleeciyah%20SS%20Final%20Essay%20Final%202024.pdf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8352535/

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/closing-the-racial-wealth-gap-requires-heavy-progressive-taxation-of-wealth

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/how-leaders-texas-revolution-fought-preserve-slavery

GOÏTA LAYS FIRST BRICK OF MALI
GOLD REFINERY

On 16 June 2025, Mali's president, Assimi Goïta, laid the foundation for a future many thought impossible: a national gold refinery, owned and operated by Mali, in the Sénou neighbourhood of the capital Bamako. This facility, which is majority owned by the Malian government in partnership with a Russian company, represents a milestone in Mali's quest for greater control over its mineral resources. In 2023, Mali adopted a new mining code that increased the country's maximal share over its gold mines from 15 to 35%, a bold move that rattled multinational giants. It also included new tax regulations for foreign companies, which has led to conflicts with Anglo-Australian company Resolute Mining and Canadian firm Barrick Gold.

Continued……Mali is part of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation along with Burkina Faso and Niger. Burkina Faso recently nationalised two gold mines and revoked three mining permits, while Niger nationalised two of its major uranium mines in 2024.

Sources

https://www.maliweb.net/economie/mines-dor-societes/lancement-des-travaux-de-construction-de-la-raffinerie-dor-du-mali-3106185.html

https://www.aa.com.tr/fr/afrique/mali-pose-de-la-première-pierre-de-lusine-de-la-première-raffinerie-nationale-d-or/3600911

https://www.agenceecofin.com/or/0409-121244-le-mali-obtient-l-application-du-nouveau-code-minier-a-une-mine-en-production

https://www.ft.com/content/a92e089f-beb4-4677-9537-f564bff06715

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/mali-has-shut-barrick-golds-office-bamako-over-alleged-non-payment-taxes-sources-2025-04-15/

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-completes-nationalisation-five-gold-mining-assets-2025-06-12/

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/niger-seizes-control-of-somair-uranium-mine/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/21/niger-revokes-french-nuclear-groups-licence-at-major-uranium-mine

Pan-Africanists and lovers of justice are celebrating that Belgian prosecutors on 17 June recommended that the Brussels Council Chamber refer a 14-year-old lawsuit to the Brussels Criminal Court that Pan-African revolutionary Patrice Lumumba’s eldest son filed against 10 Belgians he accused of playing a part in his father’s assassination. 

The lawsuit accuses the 10 people of war crimes, torture and inhumane treatment. It also stated that the Belgian state was part of a conspiracy to k*ll Lumumba (1925-61), the Democratic Republic of the Congo's first prime minister.

Prosecutors claimed to have a written request from 92-year-old former diplomat Etienne Davignon, who seeks to postpone the case. He is the last remaining of the 10 named in the lawsuit. 

Continued……The Belgian-, UK- and US-backed kidnapping and assassination of Lumumba in January 1961 shocked the continent. All that remained of the beloved figure was a tooth that Gerard Soete, a Belgian police officer, had stolen from his body before he reportedly dissolved Lumumba’s corpse in acid and burned it. Belgium returned the tooth to the Lumumba family for a proper burial in 2022.

A 2000–2001 Belgian parliamentary investigation had concluded that several Belgian ministers and officials were ‘morally responsible’ for Lumumba's death. In 2002, the Belgian government formally apologised.

Sources

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2604846/world

https://www.worldstockmarket.net/dr-congo-patrice-lumumba-60-years-of-unfinished-history

https://www.namibian.com.na/lumumbas-son-seeks-belgian-justice

https://www.brusselstimes.com/1608532/lumumba-assassination-case-comes-up-on-17-june-at-the-brussels-council-chamber

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/17/humanities.research

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/ar/node/198988

https://www.ecchr.eu/pressemitteilung/justice-for-the-assassination-of-patrice-lumumba

https://www.dw.com/en/who-killed-patrice-lumumba-dr-congos-first-prime-minister/a-72949990

TED CRUZ REVEALS HYPOCRISY ON RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

Cheerleaders for imperialist wars of aggression hypocritically accuse Muslims of religious extremism while they use wrongly interpreted Biblical texts to justify their warmongering.

US Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz on X) is baying for Iranian blood by supporting Israel's aggression against Iran, a position that he claims a noscriptural text about blessing Israel mandates. Journalist and commentator Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson on X) challenged Cruz's interpretation, questioning him directly applying a religious text to modern geopolitical realities.