A chilling new documentary by the BBC has reignited national anguish over the deaths of young protesters during the deadly June 25, 2024, demonstrations, unmasking the shooters who gunned down unarmed civilians as they breached Parliament in protest against the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
Titled ‘Blood Parliament’, the 37-minute exposé, released on YouTube on Monday, April 28, 2025, meticulously reconstructs the events of that fateful day, using 3D modelling, forensic video analysis, and eyewitness accounts to piece together the shootings that shocked the nation.
On June 25, 2024, tens of thousands of largely Gen Z protesters flooded Nairobi’s streets, rallying against the Finance Bill 2024, a sweeping piece of legislation that proposed new taxes and spending cuts.
Despite fierce opposition both inside and outside Parliament, the bill passed by a vote of 195 to 106, triggering an eruption of fury among demonstrators gathered outside the National Assembly.
Minutes after the vote, the first fatalities occurred on Parliament Road. According to the documentary, David Chege, a 39-year-old software engineer and Sunday school teacher, and Ericsson Mutisya, a 25-year-old butcher, were shot dead in cold blood.
Using three-dimensional reconstruction, the BBC captured harrowing footage of the moment police advanced on protesters.
One officer, seen kneeling down, opened fire indiscriminately, killing Chege and Mutisya and injuring at least five others.
The violence escalated when protesters stormed the Parliament complex itself, breaching the chambers for the first time in Kenya’s post-independence history.
As they attempted to flee under a hail of gunfire, another young life was lost.
Eric Shieni, a 27-year-old finance student at the University of Nairobi, was shot in the head while trying to escape through a destroyed section of Parliament’s perimeter fence.
Shieni collapsed on the rubble and died instantly.
In a revelation likely to stoke further outrage, the BBC identified Shieni’s shooter through painstaking forensic analysis of video footage and photographs.
The assailant, wearing a white shoulder patch, matte green helmet, tan boots, and wielding a solid stock rifle, was identified as a soldier from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) — a confirmation that has fueled allegations of military involvement in civilian suppression.
The documentary’s graphic depictions and methodical uncovering of the shooters have reopened fresh wounds among a nation still grappling with the trauma of that day.
Calls for accountability have gained new momentum, with many demanding justice for those killed during the protests.
Among those deeply affected was renowned journalist Willis Raburu, who took to social media to share his emotional reaction after viewing the film.
“Watching Blood Parliament left me hollow, shaken, and profoundly heartbroken. Angst, tears, pain. Each scene, each face, sear into your soul: the young, struck down while demanding dignity, justice, and change,” Raburu wrote on X on Monday.
He continued: “I was out there; it could have been any one of us. Sigh. It’s a grief so heavy it sits on your chest, refusing to lift. It’s rage, raw and burning, at the cruelty inflicted without mercy. It’s helplessness, watching lives snatched away as if they meant nothing. And it’s a solemn vow forming quietly in the heart: Never forget. Never be silent. The blood spilled on those streets isn’t just history. It’s a living wound, a call to conscience for every Kenyan. A call that demands we remember, we honour, and we continue the fight for a country where freedom is not a death sentence. We CAN NOT forget. RIP TO OUR HEROES.”
The Finance Bill protests of 2024, led predominantly by young Kenyans disillusioned by endemic corruption and economic hardship, marked a pivotal moment in the country’s political awakening. Yet the violent crackdown underscored the risks facing a generation determined to demand a different future.
The BBC’s Blood Parliament documentary has ensured that the stories of David Chege, Ericsson Mutisya, Eric Shieni, and countless others will not be erased.
For many Kenyans, it stands as both a searing reminder of sacrifice and a rallying cry for accountability.
Watch the documentary below;
Martin Oduor
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