Human rights activist Hanifa Adan has sharply criticised the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) over its recent press release on the June 2024 Gen Z protests, accusing it of attempting to shield police from responsibility for the killings and injuries suffered by demonstrators.
Taking to X on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Hanifa expressed outrage at the conclusions presented in the ODPP’s findings, describing them as dismissive, dishonest, and painful to families who have spent months seeking justice.
She began her post with a blunt condemnation, labelling the findings that the ODPP shared on X as ridiculous and nuts.
“This is actually nuts and ridiculous. You should’ve just kept quiet like you used to,” she shared.
She went on to question how the ODPP could deny police involvement in the killings of over 65 protestors, despite being in possession of bullets that could be traced to individual firearms.
“You have hundreds of bullets with you, which you can trace!” she said, highlighting the ODPP’s failure to link ballistic evidence to police-issued weapons.
According to Hanifa, the report is riddled with vague conclusions that avoid placing blame.
“Every report is just saying ‘no involvement of police’—so’ who was shooting people?” She asked, before adding, “Do you have a parallel militia?”
She also took issue with how specific cases were handled in the report, including that of Evans Kiratu Karobia, who died in the Nairobi CBD on June 20, 2025.
Regarding Kiratu, she emphasised that his family had been up in arms since his death last year, persistently urging the authorities to deliver justice, and she described it as outrageous that nothing meaningful had been investigated in the case to date.
“Evans Kiratu’s family has been actively seeking justice since last year!” she wrote, referencing the family’s long struggle for answers and accountability.
In the case of Rex Kanyike Masai, another protester who was fatally shot, Hanifa was unequivocal, saying that his killer had been positively identified but wondered why the report had nothing conclusive on that.
“Rex’s killer has been clearly identified,” she shared.
In one of the most emotional sections of her post, Hanifa drew attention to the case of Gianna Markel Obonyo, a five-year-old girl who was hit by a bullet while playing in her compound.
She lamented that the young girl had been rushed to the hospital with a bullet lodged in her body, yet it was absurd that the bullet had since vanished and that, even in her case, the police continued to insist they were in no way involved.
“Gianna Markel is a 5-year-old who was in ICU in KNH – we thought she wouldn’t make it,” she wrote. She then questioned the hospital’s handling of crucial evidence: “Why exactly would KNH not give out the bullet?”
ODPP statement
In its statement dated April 30, 2025, the ODPP concluded that in multiple cases connected to the Gen Z protests, there was insufficient evidence to support the involvement of police officers.
The statement said that even where bullets were recovered, they could not be linked to any officer without supporting eyewitness accounts or CCTV footage.
In the case of Evans Kiratu, the ODPP noted that the post-mortem report attributed the cause of death to blunt force trauma to the chest and recommended a public inquest due to insufficient evidence.
“The post-mortem report revealed the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the chest. The file is recommended for a public inquest due to lack of sufficient evidence.” The statement read in part.
Yet this response contradicts the Kiratu family’s persistent calls for justice and the testimony of activists who claim his death resulted from police action.
Regarding Rex Masai, the report acknowledged that a bullet was recovered, yet it stated that the footage obtained did not clearly show who shot the deceased and that, to date, no witness had come forward to provide a statement.
The report further noted that more time was needed to trace the shooter.
“The footage obtained did not clearly show who shot the deceased. No witness has recorded a statement to date. More time is required to trace the shooter.”
On the matter of young Gianna, the ODPP confirmed that she had been injured by a bullet, but the file remained under investigation.
They confirmed that she was shot while riding her bike at her parents’ home, with the tragic incident unfolding on the 25th of June 2024. Yet, the report stressed that no definitive conclusions could be made, as the crucial bullet had not been handed over by Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) to IPOA for ballistics analysis.
“Ms. Obonyo reportedly suffered a gunshot wound at the lower back on 25th June 2024 while riding a bicycle in her parents’ compound. At the time of receiving the file from IPOA, the subject bullet had not been released by the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) authorities to IPOA for ballisties examination. The DPP shall review the case and make further directions once the investigation file is resubmitted with the ballistice report.” The report read.